Devanagari
गुरूणां च लघूनां च गुरूणि च लघूनि च ।
प्रायश्चित्तानि पापानां ज्ञात्वोक्तानि महर्षिभि: ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca
gurūṇi ca laghūni ca
prāyaścittāni pāpānāṁ
jṣātvoktāni maharṣibhiḥ
Synonyms
gurūṇām
—
heavy
;
ca
—
and
;
laghūnām
—
light
;
ca
—
also
;
gurūṇi
—
heavy
;
ca
—
and
;
laghūni
—
light
;
ca
—
also
;
prāyaścittāni
—
the processes of atonement
;
pāpānām
—
of sinful activities
;
jṣātvā
—
knowing perfectly well
;
uktāni
—
have been prescribed
;
mahā
—
ṛṣibhiḥ — by great sages .
Translation
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.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The great sages, understanding the limited nature of atonements, have said that severe atonements are prescribed for grave sins, and light atonements are prescribed for minor sins.
“According to the gravity of the sin, the scriptures say that one must do a correspondingly severe austerity. How is it that by chanting once in nāmābhāsa all of the gravest sins are destroyed?” Because the atonements have limited power, such arrangements are prescribed. However, heaps of serious sins are destroyed by chanting once even a portion of the name, since it has inconceivably great power. It is as easy as Balarāma’s ability to destroy the all Kauravas, including Duryodana, in order to save Sāmba.
Purport
In this regard, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes an incident that took place when Sāmba was rescued from the punishment of the Kauravas. Sāmba fell in love with the daughter of Duryodhana, and since according to
kṣatriya
custom one is not offered a
kṣatriya’s
daughter unless he displays his chivalrous valor, Sāmba abducted her. Consequently Sāmba was arrested by the Kauravas. Later, when Lord Balarāma came to rescue him, there was an argument about Sāmba’s release. Since the argument was not settled, Balarāma showed His power in such a way that all of Hastināpura trembled and would have been vanquished as if by a great earthquake. Then the matter was settled, and Sāmba married Duryodhana’s daughter. The purport is that one should take shelter of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, 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, Balarāma or Nārāyaṇa.