Talk:Pādakṛcchra

By Swami Harshananda

Pādakṛcchra literally means ‘kṛcchra of four aspects’.

Man is often prone to committing sins due to the weaknesses. However, religions generally provide him with ways and means of redeeming himself. Religion prescribes two steps for such redemption:

1. Paścāttāpa - repentance
2. Prāyaścitta - expiation

The most general name for prāyaścittas is ‘kṛcchra’. Out of the several varieties of kṛcchra, the pādakṛcchra is also the one. In this expiation, the transgressor of dharma has to take food only once in the daytime on the first day of expiation, once only in the night time on the second day, once at any time if he gets the food unasked on the third day and observe a total fast on the fourth day. Even the quantity of food allowed on the first three days is restricted by the dharmaśāstras.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore