Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
तस्माद् दानेन तपसा कर्मणा च फल॑ शुभम् | वर्धयेदशुभं कृत्वा यथा स्यादतिरेकवान्
tasmād dānena tapasā karmaṇā ca phalaṁ śubham | vardhayed aśubhaṁ kṛtvā yathā syād atirekavān ||
因此,若有人偶然作了不善之业,当以布施、苦行(tapas)与正行来增长吉祥之果,使善业压过并抑制恶业,令福德有余而存。
व्यास उवाच
If one commits a harmful act, one should deliberately cultivate greater merit through charity, austerity, and righteous deeds, so that wholesome results outweigh and subdue the unwholesome—an ethical strategy of self-correction rather than despair.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a practical rule of dharma: when a lapse into aśubha occurs, the remedy is to intensify śubha conduct—dāna, tapas, and good works—so the balance of one’s karmic fruits becomes predominantly auspicious.