Introduction (Expiatory Rites: Concept and Evolution)

Every religion and culture contains certain notions of sins and various rites of expiations for their removal. The practice of some expiatory rituals can be seen in primitive society. Even the primordial tribes believed that impurities related to sex, birth, marriage, and death affected them seriously. They also considered that the pregnant women are also impure. Hence, for the removal of these impurities, the tribal groups perform some cleansing rituals such as sprinkling of water or blood, burning incense, various oblations etc. The study of Henk De Berg has revealed that the totemic taboos are closely related to expiation.

He notes:

“[……] again as with taboos, obsessional prohibitations can be lifted, or their transgression atoned for, by certain “ritual” actions such as washing one’s hands or walking on the right part of the pavement twice.”

According to Henk De Berg, the two important totemic taboos are, the prohibition against the killing of the totem animal and the prohibition against sexual intercourse with members of the same clan.^[1]

In Indian religious culture, sins and expiatory rites occupy a prominent role. These concepts can be seen in all branches of Sanskrit literature like Vedas, Sūtras, Smṛtis, Epics and Purāṇas. The creative literature in Sanskrit also refers to some expiatory rites.^[2] Regional languages and traditions also share these concepts with slight modifications. While doing religious rituals, it is quite natural to commit certain mistakes knowingly or unknowingly. These mistakes are to be corrected by some special rites in order to get the fruits of the successful completion of the rituals. In Sanskrit literature, the term Prāyaścitta is used to denote the atonement or expiation. In Dharmasūtras, Dharmaśāstras and in other treatises, the term Prāyaścitta acquires different shades of meaning.^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Henk De Berg, Freud’ s Theory and its Use in Literary and Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Camden House, Rochester, USA, 2003, pp. 109-142.

[2]:

Kālidāsa in his Raghuvaṃśa describes the atonement rites of Dilīpa for resolving the curse of Kāmadhenu (Raghuvaṃśa, 1.77). Dilīpa serves the divine cow Nandini as expiation for having a progeny (Ibid., 2nd canto). The Nāṭyaśāstra recommended expiation for the removal of the defects in Raṅgapūja. According to Bharata, One, who with an agitated mind, places his offering in a wrong place, is liable to expiate like one who pours ghee in to the sacrificial fire without proper Mantras:

sthanabhraṣṭaṃ tu yo dadyāt balimudvighnamānasaḥ |
mantrahīno yathā hotā prāyaścittī bhavettu saḥ || Nāṭyaśāstra, 3.101.

The influence of the concept of Prāyaścitta in Dharmasūtras and Dharmaśāstras are also seen in Sanskrit creative literatures. The works of Kālidāsa is a good example for this.

[3]:

Hereafter referred to as atonement rites, expiatory rites, and reparatory rites in the same sense of Prāyaścitta.