"'Vyasa said, "By penances, religious rites, and gifts, O Bharata, a man
may wash off his sins if he does not commit them again. By subsisting
upon only one meal a day, and that procured by mendicancy, by doing all
his acts himself (without relying on the aid of a servant), by making his
round of mendicancy with a human skull in one hand and a khattanga in
another, by becoming a Brahmacharin and always ready for exertion, by
casting off all malice, by sleeping on the bare ground, by publishing his
offence to the world, by doing all this for full twelve years, a person
can cleanse himself from the sin of having slain a Brahmana. By perishing
upon the weapon of a person living by the use of arms, of one's own will
and upon the advice of persons learned in the scriptures, or by throwing
one's self down, for three times, with head downwards, upon a blazing
fire, or by walking a hundred Yojanas all the while reciting the Vedas,
or by giving away one's whole property to a Brahmana conversant with the
Vedas, or at least so much as would secure to him a competence for life,
or a house properly furnished, and by protecting kine and Brahmanas, one
may be cleansed of the sin of having slain a Brahmana. By living upon the
scantiest meal every day for a space of six years, a person may be
cleansed of that sin.[115] By observing a harder vow with regard to food
one may be cleansed in three years.[116] By living upon one meal a month,
one may be cleansed in course of only a year. By observing, again, an
absolute fast, one may be cleansed within a very short time. There is no
doubt again that one is cleansed by a Horse-sacrifice. Men that have
been guilty of having slain a Brahmana and that have succeeded in taking
the final bath at the completion of the Horse-sacrifice, become cleansed
of all their sins. This is an injunction of great authority in the
Srutis. One again, by slaying down his life in a battle undertaken for
the sake of a Brahmana, becomes cleansed of the sin of having slain a
Brahmana. By giving away a hundred thousand kine unto persons deserving
of gifts, one becomes cleansed of the sin of having slain a Brahmana as
also, indeed, of all his sins. One that gives away five and twenty
thousand kine of the Kapila species and while all of them have calved,
becomes cleansed of all his sins. One who, at the point of death, gives
away a thousand kine with calves unto poor but deserving persons, becomes
freed from sin. That man, O king, who gives away a hundred steeds of the
Kamvoja breed unto Brahmanas of regulated behaviour, becomes freed from
sin. That man. O Bharata, who gives unto even one person all that he asks
for, and who, having given it, does not speak of his act to any one,
becomes freed from sin. If a person who has once taken alcohol drinks (as
expiation) hot liquor, he sanctifies himself both here and hereafter. By
falling from the summit of a mountain or entering a blazing fire, or by
going on an everlasting journey after renouncing the world, one is freed
from all sins. By performing the sacrifice laid down by Vrihaspati, a
Brahmana who drinks alcoholic liquors may succeed in attaining to the
region of Brahman. This has been said by Brahman himself. If a person,
after having drunk alcoholic liquor, becomes humble and makes a gift of
land, and abstains from it ever afterwards, he becomes sanctified and
cleansed. The person that has violated his preceptor's bed, should lie
down on a sheet of iron having heated it, and having cut off the emblem
of his sex should leave the world for a life in the woods, with eyes
always turned upwards. By casting off one's body, one becomes cleansed of
all his evil acts. Women, by leading a regulated life for one year,
become cleansed of all their sins. The person who observes a very rigid
vow, or gives away the whole of his wealth, or perishes in a battle
fought for the sake of his preceptor, becomes cleansed of all his sins.
One who uses falsehood before one's preceptor or acts in opposition to
him, becomes cleansed of that sin by doing something agreeable to one's
preceptor. One who has fallen off from the vow (of Brahmacharya), may
become cleansed of that sin by wearing the hide of a cow for six months
and observing the penances laid down in the case of the slaughter of a
Brahmana. One who has been guilty of adultery, or of theft, may become
cleansed by observing rigid vows for a year. When one steals another's
property, one should, by every means in his power, return to that other
property of the value of what has been stolen. One may then be cleansed
of the sin (of theft). The younger brother who has married before the
marriage of the elder brother, as also the elder brother whose younger
brother has married before him, becomes cleansed by observing a rigid
vow, with collected soul, for twelve nights. The younger brother,
however, should wed again for rescuing his deceased ancestors. Upon such
second wedding, the first wife becomes cleansed and her husband himself
would not incur sin by taking her. Men conversant with the scriptures
declare that women may be cleansed of even the greatest sins by observing
the vow of chaturmasya, all the while living upon scanty and cleansing
food. Persons conversant with the scriptures do not take into account the
sins that women may commit at heart. Whatever their sins (of this
description), they are cleansed by their menstrual course like a metallic
plate that is scoured with ashes. Plates (made of the alloy of brass and
copper) stained by a Sudra eating off it, or a vessel of the same metal
that has been smelt by a cow, or stained by a Brahmana's Gandusha, may be
cleansed by means of the ten purifying substances.[117] It has been laid
down that a Brahmana should acquire and practise the full measure of
virtue. For a person at the kingly order it has been laid down that he
should acquire and practise a measure of virtue less by a fourth part.
So, a Vaisya should acquire a measure less (than a Kshatriya's) by a
fourth and a Sudra less (than a Vaisya's) by a fourth. The heaviness or
lightness of sins (for purposes of expiation) of each of the four orders,
should be determined upon this principle. Having slain a bird or an
animal, or cut down living trees, a person should publish his sin and
fast for three nights. By having intercourse with one with whom
intercourse is prohibited, the expiation for one is wandering in wet
clothes and sleeping on a bed of ashes. These, O king, are the expiations
for sinful acts, according to precedent and reason and scriptures and the
ordinances. A Brahmana may be cleansed of all sins by reciting the
Gayatri in a sacred place, all the while living upon frugal fare, casting
off malice, abandoning wrath and hate, unmoved by praise and blame, and
abstaining from speech. He should during the day-time be under shelter of
the sky and should lie down at night even at such a place. Thrice during
the day, and thrice during the night, he should also plunge with his
clothes into a stream or lake for performing his ablutions. Observant of
rigid vows, he should abstain from speech with women, Sudras, and fallen
persons. A Brahmana by observing such regulations may be cleansed of all
sins unconsciously committed by him. A person obtains in the other world
the fruits, good or bad, of his acts here which are all witnessed by the
elements. Be it virtue or be it vice, according to the true measure that
one acquires of either, one enjoys or suffers the consequences (even
here). By knowledge, by penances, and by righteous acts, therefore, one
enhances his weal (even here). One, therefore may similarly enhance his
misery by committing unrighteous acts. One should, therefore, always
achieve acts that are righteous and abstain altogether from those that
are unrighteous. I have now indicated what the expiations are of the sins
that have been mentioned. There is expiation for every sin except those
that are called Mahapatakas (highly heinous sins). As regards sins in
respect of unclean food and the like, and improper speeches, etc., they
are of two classes, viz., those committed consciously and those that are
committed unconsciously. All sins that are committed consciously are
grave, while those that are committed unconsciously are trivial or light.
There is expiation for both. Indeed sin is capable of being washed away
by (observance of) the ordinances spoken of. Those ordinances, however,
have been laid down only for believers (in God) and those that have
faith. They are not for atheists or those that have no faith, or those in
whom pride and malice predominate. A person, O tiger among men, that is
desirous of weal both here and hereafter, should, O foremost of virtuous
men, have recourse to righteous behaviour, to (the counsels of) men that
are righteous, and to the duties that have been ordained for him.
Therefore, for the reasons already advanced (by me), thou, O king, shalt
be cleansed of all thy sins for thou hast slain thy foes in the discharge
of thy duties as a king and for the protection of thy life-breath and thy
inheritance. Or, if not withstanding this, thou still regardest thyself
to be sinful, perform expiation. Do not cast away thy life in consequence
of such grief that is not becoming a wise man."'
"Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed by the holy Rishi, king
Yudhishthira the just, having reflected for a short while, said these
words unto the sage.'"