How do you get rid of your sins in Hinduism?

In Ramayan, Lord Ram tells, ‘Karam Pradhan Vishwa Rachi Rakha, Jo Jas Karahin So Tas Fal Chakha’. Further, he also tells, ‘Sanmukh Hohin Jeev Mohi Jabahin, Janma Koti Agh Nasahin Tabahi’. Simple translation of these verses in English means ‘I have created This world karma pradhan, Whatever you do will come back’ and ‘when a person leaves everything behind and sees only me I take away all the grief accumulated over a number of births or re-births’ respectively.

So, on one hand Lord Ram says that you’ll have to bear the fruits that you sowed and on the other hand he says that when you see only him he won’t let you feel any grief. This simply means that until you see only Lord Ram as the doer of everything (good or bad) you’ll feel different pains. He simply means that good or bad is your perception and that life isn’t meant to be wasted grieving for bad luck or celebrating good luck.

Firstly the definition of sin in Hinduism. “Sin is any act which intentionally causes suffering to another sentient being.” (paropakāra pu?yāya pāpāya para-pi?anam) Secondly the 3 R’s of getting rid of sins in Hinduism are: Recognise - that you you have hurt others and caused unnecessary pain and suffering. Regret that you have done this. Rectify – by firstly requesting forgiveness from those whom you have hurt and vowing never to do it again. Hereafter be vigilant of your actions, speech and mind and avoid pain to others. Then in order to perform acts of atonement and restitution there are a number of ways recommended:–

Take a bath in the Ganga or other sacred rivers after going on a pilgrimage by foot and staying in Dharamshala! (Taking a bus or train and staying in 5 star hotels will not work!) Feed the poor and clothe the ragged, sponsor the education of disadvantaged girls - financially empowering girls is the only key to end poverty! Undertake to construct a shelter or contribute to the building of shelters for the homeless and destitute. Make as big a donation as possible to a hospital (without having your name plaque installed!!) - or make monthly installments for a specific period.

Perform purifactory rituals like Udakshānti or Kushmanda Homa and give generous donations to the priests, and the poor and feed as many people as possible. You can also consult an astrologer and he or she will provide you with more specific activities for restitution. In summary any charitable works that you do (pūrtī-kriya) will efface sins. Preferably done anonymously Getting kudos nullifies the merit (pu?ya).

According to the karma Siddhant, no one can not escape their sin (Papa karma), everyone should get sin or pain for their sin (Papa karma) as well as benefits of good karma also. you cannot stop the thing, even incarnation of God's also followed the same, they accepted some punishment to clear their Papa karma which was done during some Loka Kalyana's. (Example : Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Mata Sita devi). Even though they having powers to remove their Papa karma they didn't do. They accepted pains of sin and become free to all karma.

This we need to learn from them and take it as a role model of them. And If you observe the epic Mahabharat. As all good persons or noble devotees, no one asked forgiveness, everyone accepted pain of sin immediately to become free to Papa karma so that they can get moksha further. So dear friends always apologize to the god also accept pain and difficulties to abolish your sin. Then only your mind and heart will become pure.

By feeding poor. By flashing smile and make calm to sad persons. By forgiving your enemy and believing in God that he will do fair one day. The most simple deed is, dont repeat the sin.And you will be definitely forgiven by God. Brother you should know that “Hindu” is not a religious word or neither this word represents any religion. The word “Hindu” can never be found in any religious books. The “Hindu” word was derived from combination of two words. That is a Sanskrit word “Indu” and an Arabic word “Hind”. So, this word “Hindu” represents the Land or Area where we leave. Every Religious or Atheist people living in India is “Hindu”. The people who think that their Religion name is “Hindu” are unaware of historical fact that, In realty they are “Sanatan Dharmis” or “Idol Worshipers”.

“Sanatan Dharmi” are those people who believes in “One God” without any image or figure.and “Idol Worshipers are those who believes that every thing is God and make pictures and statue of gods. Many Holy Rishi, Muni, Saint, Messenger came to this Earth with single message that there is only “One God” and “That One God has no shapes ,Size or form like that Human Being Imagine”. And Remember, nobody has or had seen God. In Every Religious Holy Books we find the same message that “There is Only One God”.

All religions have a concept of “sin” but they all differ in their interpretation of what sin actually is or in the variations thereof. The subject is treated in great detail in Hinduism and like everything associated with India is extremely complex!! Generally speaking sin can be defined as any act which violates a moral law whereas a crime violates a legal law. Not all laws are moral. In Sanātana Dharma Sin and Virtue — Pu?ya/Pāpa are related to Dharma/Adharma. There are no divine laws and there is an objective and universal standard of morality. paropakāra pu?yāya pāpāya para-pī?anam Virtue (pu?ya) is benefiting other beings, Sin (pāpa) is causing harm to others. (Mahābhārat).

Shirmad Bhagwad Gītā mentions 3 gateways to hell” which are the causes of “sin”. kāma — self-referent desire; krodha — anger and lobha — greed. The Dharma Shastras give two major divisions of sins:– The Five Mortal Sins and the Ten Venial Sins (nomenclature borrowed from the Christian categories for convenience). Mahā Pātakas: These are mentioned in most of the Dharma ?hāstras but must be seen in a broader context. They do not refer so much to individual acts but rather to categories of acts which are considered utterly odious and objectionable and are punishable by excommunication.

brahma-hatya — Killing a (learned) Brahma?. The learned brāhma?s were the repositories of the nation’s knowledge, culture and learning. They were the judges, teachers, counsellors, arbitrators etc. and were the equivalent of walking libraries because they had memorized all the literature, so actively killing or allowing such a person to die needlessly was the equivalent of destroying a library and archives! An act of cultural suicide.

sura-pānam — drinking Sura (alcohol): The generic term sura covers all sorts of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol consumption was strictly prohibited for Brahmins. We know for a fact that alcohol consumption was rife in ancient India. Pubs were regulated and taxed by the kings, so occasional consumption of alcohol is not what is meant here but rather alcoholism or drinking to excess. In the modern context this term would also include all forms of harmful addiction: alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, gambling etc.

Suvar?a-steya — stealing gold. Gold was the most common form of wealth in the absence of coinage and banks and stock exchanges. It was the common peoples only form of investment. To steal someone’s gold meant destroying all their future happiness projects, as well as wiping out all their years of hard work and saving, basically destroying not only one person but an entire extended household.

Guru-talpaga — adultery with a Guru's wife: In the Vedic age the only form of formal school was the guru-kula, i.e. living in the teacher’s compound. To seduce the wife of the teacher or his daughters for that matter is a supreme act of ingratitude. The term ‘guru’ also includes parents, elders, older relatives, guides, counselors, so guru-talpaga includes all of these people and their partners.

Sa?sargas tai? — associating with these offenders: The offenses mentioned above incurred the penalty of excommunication and so association with these people would be breaking the sanction of society. In the modern context it also means that hanging out with such offenders might lead to inclusion in those harmful behaviour patterns. Many of the Dharma ?hāstras substitute this offense with bhrūna-hatya — aiding and abetting an abortion. This also includes all intentional harm caused to an infant or a child.

The equivalent sins of Brahma-hatya are: Falsely attributing to oneself qualifications one doesn’t possess in order to deceive others. Being an informer Falsely denouncing one's teacher The equivalent sins of sura-pānam are: . Forgetting the Vedas. Giving false evidence, Killing a friend, Eating forbidden food, or swallowing substances unfit for consumption, The equivalent sins of Suvar?a-steya are: Stealing or expropriating a deposit. Kidnapping. Expropriating land. Creating computer viruses. The equivalent sins of guru-talpaga are: Incest, Rape, Seduction of the spouse of a friend, or of a daughter-in-law, or any other relative or daughter/spouse of a relative. Child abuse. “Sin”, is an unskilled use of action, a lack of spiritual understanding which causes one to transgress the Cosmic Laws (Rita), and the means of performing unskillful actions are three:— the mind, the speech and actions.

The unskillful use of thought is manifest in :—1. Thinking harmful thoughts directed towards others, 2. Clinging to irrational and erroneous views and doctrines. The unskillful use of speech is :– 3. Lying, 4. Slandering, 5. Gossiping, 6. Abusing others 7. Giving false advice or teachings. The unskillful use of action is :– . Causing physical injury to other living beings, 9. Sexual misconduct 10. Not rendering assistance in time of need. All well-directed virtuous actions leads to spiritual development and happiness, all unskillful actions retard spiritual growth and produce unhappiness and delay the unfolding of our true spiritual nature. In Hinduism sin does not require the forgiveness of God, it requires atonement, rectification and purification. Jay Shri Krishna