History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.871

v4.c63.t2.871

21. 'Undergoing (secret) expiation for the grave sins (mahāpātakas) except theft' (l. 15). Hārīta (q. by Par. M. II.¹⁸³¹ part 2, p. 153) prescribes secret expiation for a brāhmaṇa who has studied dharmaśāstra and committed a sin without anyone knowing it. Gaut. (chap. 24) prescribes certain expiations to be undergone secretly (without any third person knowing of such performance) for even mahāpātakas such as brāhmaṇa murder, drinking surā, incest and theft of gold. Vas. (chap. 25) also does the same and states (25. 2) that only those who have kept the sacred vedic fires, who are disciplined and old or learned are entitled to secret expiations for sins and not other people. The Viṣṇu Dh. S. 55 deals with secret expiations. Parāśara IX. 61 (last verse) laid down¹⁸³² the general rule that one should openly declare one's sin. The Kalivarjya text provides that secret expiation is allowed as regards only theft among the mahāpātakas in the Kali age, though in earlier ages it was allowed as to other mahāpātakas also. The Nirṇayasindhu says that secret expiation is allowed only to brāhmaṇas. According to the Dharmasindhu, in the Kali age if a man is guilty of the murder of a brāhmaṇa or of other mahāpātakas he does not avoid the consequences of falling into Hell when he undergoes an expiation but he becomes only fit for social intercourse, while as regards theft of gold (a mahāpātaka) by undergoing prāyaścitta he avoids the fall into hell and also becomes fit for social intercourse. The Kalivarjyavinirṇaya appears to hold that all secret expiations are forbidden in Kali.¹⁸³³