Shloka 27

Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)

Devanagari script

कृच्छाद्‌ द्वादशरात्रेण संयतात्मा व्रते स्थित: । परिवेत्ता भवेत्‌ पूत: परिवित्तिस्तथैव च

Transliteration

kṛcchrād dvādaśarātreṇa saṃyatātmā vrate sthitaḥ | parivettā bhavet pūtaḥ parivittis tathaiva ca ||

Translation

毗耶娑说：若能守持誓戒、调伏其心，行“克里恰罗”(Kṛcchra)苦行十二夜，则在长兄未婚之时先行婚娶的幼弟得以净化；同样，那位被“越过”的长兄亦得净化。

Word by Word

• कृच्छात्: from/through the Kṛcchra (penance)
• कृच्छात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• द्वादशरात्रेण: by (observance lasting) twelve nights
• द्वादशरात्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशरात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• संयतात्मा: self-controlled
• संयतात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संयतात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्रते: in the vow/observance
• व्रते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• स्थितः: standing/remaining (engaged)
• स्थितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) / स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिवेत्ता: the younger brother who marries before the elder
• परिवेत्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिवेत्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Singular

• पूतः: purified
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पू (धातु) / पूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिवित्तिः: the elder brother who remains unmarried (while the younger marries)
• परिवित्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिवित्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: thus/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• parivettā (younger brother marrying first)
• parivitti (elder brother passed over)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When the customary marital order between elder and younger brothers is disrupted, dharma prescribes purification through disciplined atonement: both the one who ‘oversteps’ (parivettā) and the one who is ‘passed over’ (parivitti) can be cleansed by a twelve-night Kṛcchra observance performed with self-control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is laying down a rule of prāyaścitta (expiation) in a dharma-discussion context: he specifies that a twelve-night Kṛcchra vow, undertaken with mental restraint, purifies both brothers involved in the situation where the younger marries while the elder remains unmarried.