Text 10] The History of the Life of Ajamila 15

returns to confess them again. This is the practice of a professional sin-
ner. Pariksit Maharaja’s observations indicate that even five thousand
years ago it was the practice of criminals to atone for their crimes but
then commit the same crimes again, as if forced to do so. Therefore,
owing to his practical experience, Pariksit Maharaja saw that the process
of repeatedly sinning and atoning is pointless. Regardless of how many
times he is punished, one who is attached to sense enjoyment will commit
sinful acts again and again until he is trained to refrain from enjoying his
senses. The word vivasa is used herein, indicating that even one who
does not want to commit sinful acts will be forced to do so by habit.
Pariksit Maharaja therefore considered the process of atonement to have
little value for saving one from sinful acts. In the following verse he
further explains his rejection of this process.

TEXT 10

efrfardisarefradt aq |
TTS} AY FAIA loll

kvacin nivartate ‘bhadrat
kvacic carati tat punah

prayascittam atho ’parthamn
manye kufijara-saucavat

kvacit—sometimes; nivartate—ceases; abhadrat—from sinful ac-
tivity; kvacit—sometimes; carati—commits; tat—that (sinful activity);
punah—again; prdyascittam—the process of atonement; atho—
therefore; apdrtham—useless, manye—I consider; kufjara-sauca-
vat—exactly like the bathing of an elephant.

TRANSLATION

Sometimes one who is very alert so as not to commit sinful acts is
victimized by sinful life again. I therefore consider this process of
repeated sinning and atoning to be useless. It is like the bathing of
an elephant, for an elephant cleanses itself by taking a full bath,
but then throws dust over its head and body as soon as it returns to
the land.
