History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.226

v5.c71.s1.226

¹⁵⁰ Actions are divided into three kinds, *ntya*, *naimittika* and *kāmya* Nitya acts are those like sandhyā-vandana (which are obligatory and performed daily as a duty and which if not performed lead to sinfulness), naimittika are those acts which have to be done only on some occasion (as a bath on an eclipse) and kāmya rites are those which are performed out of a desire to secure some object (as the sacrifice called putresti for a son). Manu in XI 53 says 'therefore (because of the remnants of the guilt of (*Continued from the last page*) crimes in former lives men are born blind or idiots &c.) penances must always be performed for the sake of purification, because those whose sins have not been expiated are born with disgraceful marks.' Though Manu employs the word 'nityam' here, what is meant is that when a sin is committed, a prāyaścitta must necessarily be performed and it is not left to the volition of the sinner whether to perform it or not. Vide Mit on Yāj III. 220 But it does not follow from this that if prāyaścitta for removing a sin is not performed, another sin is thereby committed, for in that case there would be *anavasthā* (regressus ad infinitum)