Manava Dharmashastra 4.243

4.243

dharmaḥ pradhānaṃ yasyāsau dharmapradhāno dharmaparāyaṇo yathāvihitakarmānuṣṭhāyī | tapasā hatakilviṣaṃ kathaṃcitpramādakṛtavyatikrame tapasā prāyaścittena hatakalmaṣaṃ śāstravyatikrame jāto'sau doṣastasmiṃstatprāyaścittena naṣṭe paralokaṃ nayati bhāsvantaṃ paralokaṃ devasthānaṃ svargādi nayati prāpayati | kaḥ ? prakṛtatvāddharma eva | śarīriṇaṃ puruṣaṃ svena śarīreṇa 'khaśarīrī' | na yathā'nyeṣāṃ puruṣāṇāṃ pāñcabhautikaṃ śarīramevaṃ tasya | kiṃrbahiṃ ? khameva śarīraṃ brahma | vibhutvamanenocyate |

‘Darkness’ stands for suffering. Even such ‘unfordable darkness’ becomes easily fordable with the aid of Merit as a companion; i.e., the man does not become submerged in the darkness.—(242)