Parashara on Sin, Atonement and Good Action

Verse 1 (12.297.1)

मनोरथरथं प्राप्य इन्द्रियार्थहयं नरः । रश्मिभिर्ज्ञानसंभूतैर्यो गच्छति स बुद्धिमान् ॥

manoratharathaṃ prāpya indriyārthahayaṃ naraḥ | raśmibhirjñānasaṃbhūtairyo gacchati sa buddhimān

A man who has mounted the chariot of his desires, with the objects of the senses for horses, and who drives on with the reins that knowledge supplies, is wise.

Note on the text: Adhyaya note: the page is the right adhyaya (rows labelled 12-297-1 to 12-297-23; the colophon reads सप्तनवत्यधिकद्विशततमोऽध्यायः । 297). Its text is the critical edition's 12.280.1-23 (the CE numbers this adhyaya 280). The heading line printed above the verses and the footnotes after the colophon (पाठान्तर glosses) are not part of the text and are not added. No Appendix I passage and no star passage occurs here. Verse 6 is a three-line verse, as in the CE.

Verse 2 (12.297.2)

सेवाश्रितेन मनसा वृत्तिहीनस्य शस्यते । द्विजातिहस्तान्निर्वृत्ता न तु तुल्यात्परस्परात् ॥

sevāśritena manasā vṛttihīnasya śasyate | dvijātihastānnirvṛttā na tu tulyātparasparāt

For a man without a livelihood, one taken up with a mind given to service is praised, when it comes from the hands of the twice-born and not from equals, one from another.

Verse 3 (12.297.3)

आयुर्नसुलभं लब्ध्वा नावकर्षेद्विशांपते । उत्कर्षार्थं प्रयतते नरः पुण्येन कर्मणा ॥

āyurnasulabhaṃ labdhvā nāvakarṣedviśāṃpate | utkarṣārthaṃ prayatate naraḥ puṇyena karmaṇā

Having gained a life so hard to win, one should not demean oneself, O lord of the people; a man strives to rise higher by meritorious action.

Verse 4 (12.297.4)

वर्णेभ्यो हि परिभ्रष्टो न वै संमानमर्हति । न तु यः सत्क्रियां प्राप्य राजसं कर्म सेवते ॥

varṇebhyo hi paribhraṣṭo na vai saṃmānamarhati | na tu yaḥ satkriyāṃ prāpya rājasaṃ karma sevate

A man who has fallen from his class deserves no honour; nor does one who, having received honour, follows passionate action.

Verse 5 (12.297.5)

वर्णोत्कर्षमवाप्नोति नरः पुण्येन कर्मणा । दुर्लभं तमलब्धा हि हन्यात्पापेन कर्मणा ॥

varṇotkarṣamavāpnoti naraḥ puṇyena karmaṇā | durlabhaṃ tamalabdhā hi hanyātpāpena karmaṇā

A man attains a higher class by meritorious action; but if he fails to win that hard-won thing, he would undo it by evil action.

Verse 6 (12.297.6)

अज्ञानाद्धि कृतं पापं तपसैवाभिनिर्णुदेत् । पापं हि कर्म फलति पापमेव स्वयंकृतम् । तस्मात्पापं न सेवेत कर्म दुःखफलोदयम् ॥

ajñānāddhi kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tapasaivābhinirṇudet | pāpaṃ hi karma phalati pāpameva svayaṃkṛtam | tasmātpāpaṃ na seveta karma duḥkhaphalodayam

Sin committed through ignorance should be driven out by austerity alone. For an evil deed bears fruit, and what one has done oneself is evil indeed. Therefore let no one practise sin, an action whose result is sorrow.

Verse 7 (12.297.7)

पापानुबन्धं यत्कर्म यद्यपि स्यान्महाफलम् । तन्न सेवेत मेधावी शुचिः कुशलिनं यथा ॥

pāpānubandhaṃ yatkarma yadyapi syānmahāphalam | tanna seveta medhāvī śuciḥ kuśalinaṃ yathā

A wise man should not practise an action that is tied to sin, even if its reward would be great, just as a pure man avoids a kushalin, one of the outcastes.

Verse 8 (12.297.8)

किंकष्टमनुपश्यामि फलं पापस्य कर्मणः । प्रत्यापन्नस्य हि ततो नात्मा तावद्विरोचते ॥

kiṃkaṣṭamanupaśyāmi phalaṃ pāpasya karmaṇaḥ | pratyāpannasya hi tato nātmā tāvadvirocate

I see the fruit of sinful action as a wretched affliction: for one who has come to repent, his own self does not then please him.

Verse 9 (12.297.9)

प्रत्यापत्तिश्च यस्येह बालिशस्य न जायते । तस्यापि सुमहांस्तापः प्रस्थितस्योपजायते ॥

pratyāpattiśca yasyeha bāliśasya na jāyate | tasyāpi sumahāṃstāpaḥ prasthitasyopajāyate

And even the fool in whom no such turning back arises suffers great torment when he sets out on his last journey.

Verse 10 (12.297.10)

विरक्तं शोध्यते वस्त्रं न तु कृष्णोपसंहितम् । प्रयत्नेन मनुष्येन्द्र पापमेवं निबोध मे ॥

viraktaṃ śodhyate vastraṃ na tu kṛṣṇopasaṃhitam | prayatnena manuṣyendra pāpamevaṃ nibodha me

A cloth that has merely lost its colour can be cleansed, but not one soaked in black. Learn about sin in the same way from me, with care, O lord of men.

Verse 11 (12.297.11)

स्वयं कृत्वा तु यः पापं शुभमेवानुतिष्ठति । प्रायश्चित्तं नरः कर्तुमुभयं सोऽश्नुते पृथक् ॥

svayaṃ kṛtvā tu yaḥ pāpaṃ śubhamevānutiṣṭhati | prāyaścittaṃ naraḥ kartumubhayaṃ so'śnute pṛthak

A man who has himself committed a sin and then, by way of atonement, does only good deeds, enjoys the results of both separately.

Verse 12 (12.297.12)

अज्ञानात्तु कृतां हिंसामहिंसा व्यपकर्षति । ब्राह्मणाः शास्त्रनिर्देशादित्याहुर्ब्रह्मवादिनः ॥

ajñānāttu kṛtāṃ hiṃsāmahiṃsā vyapakarṣati | brāhmaṇāḥ śāstranirdeśādityāhurbrahmavādinaḥ

Non-violence removes harm done through ignorance: so the brahmins, the expounders of Brahman, say on the authority of scripture.

Verse 13 (12.297.13)

तथा कामकृतं नास्य विहिंसैवानुकर्षति । इत्याहुर्ब्रह्मशास्त्रज्ञा ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मवादिनः ॥

tathā kāmakṛtaṃ nāsya vihiṃsaivānukarṣati | ityāhurbrahmaśāstrajñā brāhmaṇā brahmavādinaḥ

But what was done knowingly is not so removed; harm alone drags it after one. So say the brahmins who know the Brahman-scriptures, the expounders of Brahman.

Note on the text: Wikisource's second line reads ब्रह्मशास्त्रज्ञा ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मवादिनः and its first line तथा कामकृतं नास्य विहिंसैवानुकर्षति; the CE has चास्य ... विहिंसैवापकर्षति and धर्मशास्त्रज्ञा ... वेदपारगाः. These are recension variants and are kept as printed; the sense of the first line is obscure and is rendered literally.

Verse 14 (12.297.14)

अहं तु तावत्पश्यामि कर्म यद्वर्तते कृतम् । गुणयुक्तं प्रकाशं वा पापेनानुपसंहितम् ॥

ahaṃ tu tāvatpaśyāmi karma yadvartate kṛtam | guṇayuktaṃ prakāśaṃ vā pāpenānupasaṃhitam

For my part, I look at an action that has been done and still stands, whether it be one of good quality or one done openly, and not accompanied by sin.

Note on the text: Corrected यद्धर्तते → यद्वर्तते (misprint in Wikisource; ध for व makes a non-word; the CE reads yad vartate).

Verse 15 (12.297.15)

यथा सूक्ष्माणि कर्माणि फलन्तीह यथातथम् । बुद्धियुक्तानि तानीह कृतानि मनसा सह ॥

yathā sūkṣmāṇi karmāṇi phalantīha yathātatham | buddhiyuktāni tānīha kṛtāni manasā saha

Even subtle actions bear their fruit here exactly as they were done: those performed with understanding, together with the mind.

Verse 16 (12.297.16)

भवत्यल्पफलं कर्म सेवितं नित्यमुल्वणम् । अबुद्धिपूर्वं धर्मज्ञ कृतमुग्रेण कर्मणा ॥

bhavatyalpaphalaṃ karma sevitaṃ nityamulvaṇam | abuddhipūrvaṃ dharmajña kṛtamugreṇa karmaṇā

An action, though intense and constantly practised, yields little fruit when done without forethought, O knower of dharma, through a fierce deed.

Verse 17 (12.297.17)

कृतानि यानि कर्माणि दैवतैर्मुनिभिस्तथा । न चरेत्तानि धर्मात्मा श्रुत्वा चापि न कुत्सयेत् ॥

kṛtāni yāni karmāṇi daivatairmunibhistathā | na carettāni dharmātmā śrutvā cāpi na kutsayet

A man of dharma should not do the deeds that gods and sages have done, and when he hears of them he should not condemn them either.

Verse 18 (12.297.18)

संचिन्त्य मनसा राजन्विदित्वा शक्तिमात्मनः । करोति यः शुभं कर्म स वै भद्राणि पश्यति ॥

saṃcintya manasā rājanviditvā śaktimātmanaḥ | karoti yaḥ śubhaṃ karma sa vai bhadrāṇi paśyati

He who, after thinking it over in his mind and knowing his own strength, does a good deed, O king, sees good fortune.

Verse 19 (12.297.19)

नवे कपाले सलिलं संन्यस्तं हीयते यथा । नवेतरे तथा भावं प्राप्नोति सुखभावितम् ॥

nave kapāle salilaṃ saṃnyastaṃ hīyate yathā | navetare tathā bhāvaṃ prāpnoti sukhabhāvitam

As water placed in a new potsherd is lost, so in one that is not new it settles into a state made agreeable by its soaking.

Note on the text: The sense of this simile is obscure; rendered literally from the Wikisource reading (the CE has the same words).

Verse 20 (12.297.20)

सतोयेऽन्यत्तु यत्तोयं तस्मिन्नेव प्रसिच्यते । तद्धि वृद्धिमवाप्नोति सलिले सलिलं यथा ॥

satoye'nyattu yattoyaṃ tasminneva prasicyate | taddhi vṛddhimavāpnoti salile salilaṃ yathā

And other water poured into a vessel that already holds water is poured into that very water; it grows, like water in water.

Verse 21 (12.297.21)

एवं कर्माणि यानीह बुद्धियुक्तानि पार्थिव । समानि चैव यानीह तानि पुण्यतमान्यपि ॥

evaṃ karmāṇi yānīha buddhiyuktāni pārthiva | samāni caiva yānīha tāni puṇyatamānyapi

In the same way, O king, the actions here that are guided by understanding, and those of an even, balanced kind, are also the most meritorious.

Verse 22 (12.297.22)

राज्ञा जेतव्याः शत्रवश्चोन्नताश्च । सम्यक्कर्तव्यं पालनं च प्रजानाम् । अग्निश्चेयो बहुभिश्चापि यज्ञै । रन्त्ये मध्ये वा वनमाश्रित्य स्थेयम् ॥

rājñā jetavyāḥ śatravaśconnatāśca | samyakkartavyaṃ pālanaṃ ca prajānām | agniśceyo bahubhiścāpi yajñai | rantye madhye vā vanamāśritya stheyam

A king must conquer his enemies, even those who have grown mighty; he must rightly protect his subjects; he must lay the sacred fire with many sacrifices; and at the end of life, or in the middle of it, he must take refuge in a forest and remain there.

Verse 23 (12.297.23)

दमान्वितः पुरुषो धर्मशीलो । भूतानि चात्मानमिवानुपश्येत् । गरीयसः पूजयेदात्मशक्त्या । सत्येन शीलेन सुखं नरेन्द्र ॥

damānvitaḥ puruṣo dharmaśīlo | bhūtāni cātmānamivānupaśyet | garīyasaḥ pūjayedātmaśaktyā | satyena śīlena sukhaṃ narendra

A man of self-restraint and a nature of dharma should see all beings as his own self. He should honour those more venerable than himself to the best of his power, with truth and good conduct, and so, O lord of men, find happiness.