History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.208

v5.c71.s1.208

First, an attempt must be made to understand the etymology and meaning of the word 'prāyaścitta' in ancient times There are two forms of the word, prāyaścitti and prāyaścitta, which occur in Vedic works without distinction of meaning and both forms are fairly old, though prāyaścitti appears to be the older of the two The form prāyaścitti frequently occurs in the Tai. S (as in II. 1.2.4, II. 1 4.1, III. 1.3 2-3, V 1.9.3, V. 3 12.1)136a. In some of these passages no question of sin arises. The word means 'doing some thing which would get rid of some accidental happening or mishap such as the breaking of an *ukhā* (a pot or saucepan for boiling or cooking) or the sun's losing its brilliance.' In Tai S. V. 3.12.1 the word is used in the sense of an expiation for a sin. So even in very old books the word had two shades of meaning. The Kauṣītaki¹³⁷ Br. (vi. 12) states: "they say 'whatever mistake or excess occurs in the sacrifice that affects the priest *brahmā*, that he treats with the three-fold learning (i. e. the three Vedas)". The word also occurs in the Atharvaveda XIV. 1 30, Vāj. S. 39.12 (in close proximity to niṣkṛti), in the Ait. Br. V 27, in the Śat. Br. IV. 5. 7.1, VII. 1.4 9, XI. 5.3 8, XII. 4.1 6 and in other works also The form prāyaścitta occurs in Kauṣītaki Br. V. 9, VI. 12 and elsewhere. The Āśv. Śr. III 10.38 and Sāṅkhāyana Śr. III 19.1 respectively employ the words prāyaścitti and prāyaścitta¹³⁸. In Pār gr I.