History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.302

v5.c71.s1.302

One guilty of a sin, even though he may himself be a learned man, should approach an assembly of learned brāhmaṇas and after making some present (a cow or the like) announcing the nature of his lapse seek their decision about the proper penance for his lapse (Yāj. ²⁰¹ III 300 and Parāśara VIII. 2) The Mit., Par. M., Pr. S. and other digests quote long passages in verse from Aṅgiras ²⁰² who provides that the sinner should not conceal his lapse and lose time; he should bathe with his garment on, and with the garment still wet approach the assembly and should prostrate himself on the ground Thus the elders of the assembly ask the man prostrating himself before them 'what is your business, what is the trouble and what do you seek from us'. The assembly then asks him to go aside a little and debate among themselves what the penance should be, considering all the circumstances of time, place, nature of the lapse, age &c Then one of them at the desire of the assembly should declare the assembly's decision as to the proper penance after citing the smrti passages and reducing the penance in view of the weakness and other circumstances of the offender. It has already been stated that the pan sad acted under the direction of the king in matters of prāyaścitta and that the king was not to interfere with the decision of the assembly. The principal stages in a penance were four viz. approaching the parisad, the declaration of the appropriate penance by the parisad, the actual performance of the penance declared and the announcing of the sinner's freedom from taint (Angiras q. by Pr. Prakāśa folio 27a 'upasthānam vratādeśaścaryā śuddhiprakāśanam | prāyaścittam catuspādam vihitam dharmakartrbhih ॥").