# प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/prayashchitta

प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) is a Sanskrit word meaning atonement, expiation, amends, the name of several works, expiratory, expiation, penance, atonement, expiation, or penance, expiation, atonement, amends. Its 13 recorded definitions are grouped into 4 contexts, among them Atonement/Expiation/Penance (Noun), Cross-reference, Expiatory / Relating to Atonement (Adjective).

- **Etymology:** E. प्राय sin, चित्त or चित्ति reflection, and सुट् aug. hence also प्रायश्चित्ति, f. ( -त्तिः.) — E. prāya sin, citta or citti reflection, and suṭ aug. hence also prāyaścitti, f. ( -ttiḥ.)
- **SLP1:** `prAyaScitta`  **IAST:** prāyaścitta  **Devanagari:** प्रायश्चित्त
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C4%81ya%C5%9Bcitta
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/prayashchitta/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Atonement/Expiation/Penance (Noun) (10 definitions)
- atonement, expiation, amends  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 708,1] प्रा (prā) यश् (yaś) — चित्त (—citta) n. ( प्रा (prā) यश् (yaś)- (prāyaś-); ‘predominant thought’ or ‘thought of death’ cf. Pāṇini (Author) vi, 1, 157, Sch. ) atonement, expiation, amends, satisfaction, Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title); Gṛhya-sūtra and Śrauta-sūtra (Literary category); Manu-smṛti (Title); Mahābhārata (Title) ( v, 1086 as m. ) &c. [ ID=140158 ]
- atonement, expiation, or penance  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 186-3 ] प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) prā́yaś-citta, n. [thought of death], atonement, expiation, penance; amends, satisfaction; -citti, f. id.; a. expiating ( Agni ); -cittin, a. making atonement; -cittīya, 〈1.〉 den. Ā. be bound to perform penance; 〈2.〉 a. serving as an atonement; bound to perform penance: -tā, f. liability to perform a penance; -cetana, n. expiation, atonement. [ ID=12460 ]
- Expiation, penance  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्राय (prāya) श्चित्त (citta) (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 588 ] प्राय (prāya) श्चित्त (citta) (prāyaścitta) m. ( - त्तः (-ttaḥ) ) Expiation, penance. E. प्राय (prāya) sin, चित्त (citta) or चित्त (citta) ि (citti) reflection, and सुट् (suṭ) aug. hence also प्राय (prāya) श्चित्त (citta) (prāyaścitta) ि (prāyaścitti), f. ( - त्तिः (-ttiḥ).) [ ID=27125 ]
- Expiation  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 527-b ] प्राय - श्चित्त (prāya-ścitta) ( त्तः ) ((ttaḥ)) 1. m. Expiation. [ ID=26626 ]
- an expiatory act or atonement  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 490-17 ] प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) n. expiatory act, atonement, indemnification, a religious act performed for the atonement of sinful conduct, मातुः पापस्य भरतः प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) मिवाकरोत् (mātuḥ pāpasya bharataḥ prāyaścittamivākarot) R. xii.29, M. i.116. [ ID=25475 ]
- Expiation, penance  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्राय (prāya) श्चित्त (citta) (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 504-b ] प्राय (prāya) श्चित्त (citta) (prāyaścitta) m. ( - त्तः (-ttaḥ) ) Expiation, penance. E. प्राय (prāya) sin, चित्त (citta) or चित्त (citta) ि (citti) reflection, and सुट् (suṭ) aug.; hence also प्राय (prāya) श्चित्त (citta) (prāyaścitta) ि (prāyaścitti) f. (- तिः ) । ((-tiḥ).) [ ID=27923 ]
- 1. Penance. 2. Expiation. 3. Punishment.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 0615-b ] प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) prāyaścitta, i. e. prāyas -citta, n. 1. Penance, Man. 2, 221; Pañc. i. d. 307. 2. Expiation, Man. 9, 236; Pañc. 207, 17. 3. Punishment, Hit. ii. d. 172. [ ID=10039 ]
- expiation, atonement, amends  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 352 ] प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) n. ° त्ति (°tti) f. expiation, atonement, amends. [ ID=21344 ]
- expiation  
  *The Purana Index*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 2-445 ] Prāyaścitta — expiation: of no use to one not devoted to Nārāyaṇa. Bhā. VI. 1. 11, 18. [ ID=8771 ]
- penance or expiation  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 2-050 ] Prāyaś-citta 1 or Prāyaś-citti 2 denotes a ‘penance’ or ‘expiation,’ both words occurring frequently in the later Saṃhitās and the Brāhmaṇas. The penances are prescribed for every conceivable sort of ritual, social or moral; a complete list of them is included in the Sāmavidhāna Brāhmaṇa. 3 [ Footnote: 1) Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, xii. 4, 1, 6; Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇa, v. 9; vi. 12, etc.] [ Footnote: 2) Taittirīya Saṃhitā, ii. 1, 4, 1; iii. 1, 3, 2; v. 1, 9, 3; 3, 12, 1; Av. xiv. 1, 30; Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā, xxxix. 12; Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, iii. 11, 46; v. 27; vii. 2; Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, i. 1, 4, 9; iv. 5, 7, 1; xi. 5, 3, 8, etc.] [ Footnote: 3) See Konow's Translation, p. 43 et seq. ] [ ID=2076 ]

### Cross-reference (1 definition)
- See praya  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) [Printed book page 0659-a ] प्रायश्चित्त (prāyaścitta) prāyaś-citta. See prāya, p. 658. [ ID=33701 ]

### Expiatory / Relating to Atonement (Adjective) (1 definition)
- expiratory  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > प्रा (prā) यश् (yaś) — चित्त (—citta) mfn. relating to atonement or expiation, expiatory, Ṣaḍviṃśa-brāhmaṇa (Title) [ ID=140160 ]

### Title of Works (1 definition)
- the name of several works  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of sev. works. [ ID=140159 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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