History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c46.134

v3.c46.134

The Mit. on Yāj. III. 300 remarks that the number mentioned as constituting a *pariṣad* is not material, that all that is meant is that for lesser sins a small number of learned men can declare the penance, but in the case of serious sins, the number of persons who constitute the pariṣad should be large. Devala²²¹⁰ quoted in the Mit. on Yāj. III. 300 says that when the sin is not grave, brāhmaṇas may declare the penance without reference to the king (and restore the sinner to his privileges) but when the sin is grave, then the king and brāhmaṇas must carefully examine the matter and then declare the penance. Parāśara (VIII. 28-29) ordains²²¹¹ 'brāhmaṇas should declare penance for sins with the king's consent, that they should not declare the expiation of sins by penance of their own motion and that if the king decides to give prāyaścitta without reference to brāhmaṇas, the sin becomes increased a hundred-fold.' It is the duty of the *pariṣad* to declare an appropriate penance when a man comes to it, declares his lapse and seeks to be freed from the taint and if the *pariṣad* knowing what the appropriate penance is refuses to administer it, they incur the same sin as that committed by the man who approaches them.²²¹² Parāśara VIII. 2 prescribes that one should on being convinced of his having committed a sin at once repair to the assembly of learned men, should prostrate himself on the ground before them and request them to administer prāyaścitta (expiation). The Mit. on Yāj. III. 300 quotes Parāśara that the sinner should announce his sin after offering the present of a cow or a bull or the like to the *pariṣad*.