In life, humans commit both known and unknown virtues as well as sins. However, according to scriptures, only those sins committed due to ignorance or by mistake can be atoned for. Such sins are believed to be washed away by bathing in the sacred Ganges. But deliberate sins, knowingly committed, must be repaid, no matter how much charity or virtuous deeds one performs.
Ten Types of Sins in Scriptures
The scriptures classify sins into ten categories:
- Three Mental Sins:
- Thinking of seizing someone else’s wealth
- Harboring ill thoughts about others
- Dwelling on falsehoods
- Three Physical Sins:
- Taking another’s possession without permission
- Engaging in unnecessary violence
- Adultery
- Four Verbal Sins:
- Speaking harsh words
- Gossiping or backbiting
- Lying
- Engaging in useless talk
Fourteen Witnesses of One’s Actions
According to the Vedas and Puranas, every good or bad deed performed by a person is witnessed by fourteen entities:
- Dharma (Righteousness)
- Sun
- Moon
- Earth
- Water
- Fire
- Air
- Sky
- Day
- Evening
- Night
- Time
- Directions
- Senses
Whenever a person commits a sin or performs a virtue, at least one of these witnesses is always present.
How Sins Return to the Sinner: A Mythological Story
A fascinating mythological story illustrates how a person’s sins eventually return to them.
Once, a group of sages went to the Ganges and asked, “People bathe in your waters and wash away their sins. Does that mean you bear the burden of their sins?”
The Ganges replied, “I pass on all the sins to the ocean.”
The sages then approached the ocean with the same question. The ocean answered, “I transfer all the sins into vapor and offer them to the clouds.”
When the sages questioned the clouds, they said, “We are not sinners. We convert the vapor into rain and return it to the earth.”
This rainwater is then used by farmers to grow crops. When a person consumes this food with money earned through honest means, they are not affected by the sins. However, if the food is purchased with dishonest earnings, the person once again becomes a bearer of those sins.
This story conveys a deep message: sins do not simply disappear. They circulate through nature and eventually return to those who commit them, especially if they continue dishonest practices. While acts of virtue can cleanse the soul, knowingly committing sins guarantees consequences, regardless of religious rituals or charitable acts.