प्रायश्चित्तानि पापानां ज्ञात्वोक्तानि महर्षिभिः ॥१६॥
gurūṇÄá¹ ca laghÅ«nÄá¹ ca
gurūṇi ca laghūni ca
prÄyaÅ›cittÄni pÄpÄnÄá¹
jñÄtvoktÄni mahará¹£ibhiḥ
1 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: LSB(1)
gurūṇÄm - heavy; ca - and; laghÅ«nÄm - light; ca - also; gurūṇi - heavy; ca - and; laghÅ«ni - light; ca - also; prÄyaÅ›cittÄni - the processes of atonement; pÄpÄnÄm - of sinful activities; jñÄtvÄ - knowing perfectly well; uktÄni - have been prescribed; mahÄ-ṛṣibhiḥ - by great sages.
Authorities who are learned scholars and sages have carefully ascertained that one should atone for the heaviest sins by undergoing a heavy process of atonement and one should atone for lighter sins by undergoing lighter atonement. Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, however, vanquishes all the effects of sinful activities, regardless of whether heavy or light.
In this regard, ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura describes an incident that took place when SÄmba was rescued from the punishment of the Kauravas. SÄmba fell in love with the daughter of Duryodhana, and since according to ká¹£atriya custom one is not offered a ká¹£atriya’s daughter unless he displays his chivalrous valor, SÄmba abducted her. Consequently SÄmba was arrested by the Kauravas. Later, when Lord BalarÄma came to rescue him, there was an argument about SÄmba’s release. Since the argument was not settled, BalarÄma showed His power in such a way that all of HastinÄpura trembled and would have been vanquished as if by a great earthquake. Then the matter was settled, and SÄmba married Duryodhana’s daughter. The purport is that one should take shelter of Kṛṣṇa-BalarÄma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose protective power is so great that it cannot be equaled in the material world. However powerful the reactions of one’s sins, they will immediately be vanquished if one chants the name of Hari, Kṛṣṇa, BalarÄma or NÄrÄyaṇa.
