6.1.4. Expiatory Rites in Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra

Vasiṣṭa-dharmasūtra, associated with the Ṛgveda, is divided into chapters similar to Gautama-dharmasūtra Vasiṣṭa describes expiatory rites in 20th to 30^th chapters. Here sins are classified into three types: Enas (ordinary sins), Mahāpātakas and Upapātakas. According to Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra Mahāpātakas (mortal sins) are five: violating a Guru’s bed, drinking of Sura, murder of Bhrūṇa, stealing gold from a Brāhmaṇa and associating with a Patita. Upapātakas are negligence of sacred Vedic fires, offending a Guru, livelihood from an atheist and selling the Soma plant.^[1] At any time, if someone is associated with an out caste, he must perform reciting Vedic hymns without eating food.^[2]

In the composing period of Vasiṣṭhadharmasūtra, it is considered that illegal sex is a very serious sin. If a Śūdra has sex with a Brahmin woman, he should be wrapped in Vīraṇa grass and thrown in to the fire, and that Brahmin woman’s head should be shaved and her body soiled with ghee and she should be paraded naked and seated on a black donkey for purification.^[3] Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra remarks that sixteen Prāṇāyāmas should be present at Vyāhṛtis and Praṇava. If performed each day, it would purify after a month even the sin of murder of a Bhrūṇa. Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra says that a Brāhmaṇa becomes free from all distresses by the chanting of Vedic Mantras and by doing Homa rituals. Moreover, Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra proposes arduous penance, lunar penance, re-initiation, oblation in the fire, ritual gifts, ritual bath, horse sacrifice and austerity as expiations in various offences.

It is clear that in the Dharmasūtra period, Varṇa system was very deeply influenced by the concept and praxis of Prāyaścitta. Tīrtha concept also comes in the period of Sūtras. As Dharmasūtras originated in different places of early India, regional variations can be seen in the concept and praxis of expiations. At the same time, they equally considered sex with wife of Guru, killing four Varṇas, especially Brahmins, theft and drinking of liquor as major sins. It is to be noted that the Dharma literature does not discuss the ritual mistakes and their expiations.