Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
धनं तु यस्यापहरेत् तस्मै दद्यात् समं वसु । विविधेनाभ्युपायेन तदा मुच्येत किल्बिषात्,जिसके धनका अपहरण करे, उसे अनेक उपाय करके उतना ही धन लौटा दे तो उस पापसे छुटकारा मिल सकता है
dhanaṁ tu yasyāpaharet tasmai dadyāt samaṁ vasu | vividhena abhyupāyena tadā mucyeta kilbiṣāt ||
毗耶娑说:若夺取了他人之财,当以等量之资财归还其人。能以一切合法而可行之法复归其物,则可从此过失之污垢中解脱。
व्यास उवाच
Wrongfully taking another’s wealth creates moral fault (kilbiṣa); the primary remedy taught here is restitution—returning an equivalent amount to the person harmed—so that one may be freed from that sin.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a rule of ethical repair: when someone has deprived another of wealth, they should compensate the victim with an equal amount, using practical and legitimate means, as a way of expiating the wrongdoing.