Penance – Prayachitta

Prāyaścitta (Sanskrit: प्रायश्चित्त) is the Hindu term for atonement and, along with vyavahāra (legal procedure) and ācāra (customary law) makes up the dharmaśāstra. It is the word used for the portion of Hindu law and the dharmaśāstra that has to do with the expiation of sins. It “denotes an act or rite…intended for the destruction of sin.”[1] Though the sins it pertains to is often punishable by the king as well as through legal proceedings, it is considered a different sphere of the law.
Read More at wiki…