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Are there any sins that are not forgiven by God?

Ambi
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Deva
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    Rephrase this question to make it general!!! This question is answerable if you can rephrase it! – Agamas Tantras Dec 01 '18 at 10:31
  • Actually, not to make it general, but make it in to a question which does not ask for an opinion and can be answered through sastric references. – Ambi Dec 01 '18 at 10:43
  • @Ambi Yes... You are right! – Agamas Tantras Dec 01 '18 at 10:49
  • @Ambi Author's intent should be given importance while changing the question. We should not change the question as we wish even when we are salvaging it. Removing most part is not the correct way. Please see etiquette of editing. Also, suggest all the edits at once instead of doing multiple times. – Sarvabhouma Dec 02 '18 at 09:11
  • @Sarvabhouma Oh. guess I got trigger happy! Write one off as a newbie mistake? Will take more care. – Ambi Dec 02 '18 at 09:14
  • @Deva: Krishna in that Avatar chose to give 100 chances to Sisupala ( He gave sufficient advance notice ) and then only beheaded him with the Chakra. – Narasimham Dec 04 '18 at 17:20

5 Answers5

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The basic teaching of Hinduism and the scriptures of it is to not to feel guilt of past mistakes, and even the sinful of sinners can cross over the Ocean of Samasra and come out of past sins through spiritual knowledge.

Bhagavad Gita 4.36 Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries.

When one is situated on the boat of spiritual Gyana, Isvara Gyana, the spiritual knowledge burns all your Karmas into Ashes.

Bhagavad Gita 4.37: Just as heat of fire reduces wood to Ashes, the fire of self knowledge burns to ashes all Karma

This was the statement given by Krishna paramatma in Bhagavad Gita. From this we can understand, only way to come out of all Karmas is Spiritual knowledge !

Agamas Tantras
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    Vedas do support the idea of sin... Vedas themselves talk about sin.. and if u are talking about Upanishads then they also mention about sin at many places.. @UdayKrishna – Rickross Dec 01 '18 at 16:04
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    I think u were talking about sin and not hell. If it is sin then there are references of sin in Vedas themselves. And, in Upanishads too. @UdayKrishna – Rickross Dec 01 '18 at 16:09
  • Well Vedas mention Suvarga (Heaven) too often.. So if Heaven exists it's common sense that it's counterpart (Hell) shd also exist even though that is not explicitly stated in the Vedas. @UdayKrishna – Rickross Dec 01 '18 at 16:18
  • @Rickross Not just one hell... 28 levels of it, if I remember it right. – Ambi Dec 02 '18 at 04:44
  • @Rickross what is sin according to the Vedas? not performing the rites properly? and are the gods those who punish for the sins or are they punished due to the operation of the law of karma? – Баян Купи-ка Dec 02 '18 at 14:03
  • Wht are sins in Hinduism are also sins as per Vedas. And thr are many kinds of them. Actually punishment is natural consequence of law of karma but thr is also a deity who inflicts punishments called Yama. @БаянКупи-ка – Rickross Dec 02 '18 at 15:39
  • @Rickross OK, what is sin according to Hinduism? violation of prescriptions contained in the holy scriptures? – Баян Купи-ка Dec 02 '18 at 16:40
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    @БаянКупи-ка well thr are many kinds of sin. Yes, basically the scriptural injunctions are acts of Dharma and going against them is Adharma (sin). – Rickross Dec 03 '18 at 10:04
  • OK, i'm not sure though that conceptually sin is an accurate translation of adharma – Баян Купи-ка Dec 03 '18 at 11:49
  • No it is not @БаянКупи-ка Normally words like Papa. durita etc are used which in English mean sin. Wht I meant was following the scriptural injunctions are acts of Dharma. Going against them is Adharma and such acts are basically wht Hinduism/scriptures call as sins. – Rickross Dec 04 '18 at 11:49
  • but it's not what sin is in Abrahamic religions, violation of higher authority orders, which has very strong negative connotations and is accompanied with a sense of guilt, in Indic religions it's rather a misconduct, unwholesome action, because ultimately a 'sinner' commits a 'sin' against themselves due to operation of karma and without any culpability before higher authority – Баян Купи-ка Dec 04 '18 at 13:15
  • that’s the perfect answer,thank you for posting. – Lucky Pashu Nov 19 '20 at 15:53
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Actually, there is one sin that is never forgiven directly by God. An offence against a Bhagavata is unforgiveable except by the Bhagavata himself.

The episode of Maharaja Ambarīṣa and Sage Durvāsā is best example in this regard. When Durvasa offended Ambarisha (a great devotee of Krishna who was accorded protection by Sudarshana chakra), by cursing him for breaking a fast without Durvasa's permission. His curse and actions cause Sudarshana chakra to chase Durvasa to all corners and no deva or even Lord Vishnu would protect him. Then based on advice from Vishnu, Duravasa sought forgiveness at the feet of Ambarisha. Only then Sudarshana chakra stopped chasing the sage.

You can read the entire story in Srimad Bhagavatam.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/4/ https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/5/

So, Bhagavata apachaara is a great sin that the Lord will never forgive.

Ambi
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As per PADMA PURANA: PATALAKHANDA: Chapter 8

Sri Rama said :

24-26. Sin is said to be of two kinds, viz. deliberate and nondeliberate. Deliberate is that which is done with an intention. The non-deliberate is that committed unintentionally. The deliberate sin is exhausted only after experiencing (the fruit of that sinful) deed. The other one would perish through remorse (प्रायश्चित). This is declared by the scriptural injunctions.

Many atonements (प्रायश्चित) are declared in scriptures for variois nondeliberate sins. Many prayaschitta are discussed here.

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This question is misconceived. God does not interfere in the running of the universe. God does not ordinarily do anything. It is nature that does every thing.

Resorting to Prakrti, Nature, which is My own Power, I send forth again and again this multitude of beings that are without any freedom, owing to Nature's sway over them.

These activities do not in any way bind Me, because I remain detached like one unconcerned in their midst.

Under My direction and control, Nature brings out this mighty universe of living and non-living beings. Thus does the wheel of this world revolve.

Gita 9.8–10

God will not interfere in your life if you do not want God to interfere in your life by praying or worshiping God. The only thing God will do is to distribute the fruits of your karma.

Hence there is no need for God’s forgiveness for any sin.

What then is the Hindu idea of paapa or sin and how can one get rid of the effects of the sin?

The idea of paapa, translated as sin, is different from the Christian idea of sin. Christian theology says that sin is an offense against God. Hence there is need for forgiveness from God in Christian theology. Paapa is an offense against oneself. One damages one self through bad karma. So there is no point in asking for forgiveness from God.

So how can one reduce paapa or sin?

How to get rid of the effect of sins

Yudhisthira says,’…a perpetrated sin is expiated by auspicious acts, by publishing it wildly, by repentance, by alms-giving, by penances, by trips to tirthas after renunciation of everything, by constant meditation on the scriptures. Of all these, he that has practiced renunciation is believed to be incapable of committing sins anew. ‘

Mahabharata Santi Parva Section VII

There are two other points to discuss.

Instead of asking if there are any sins that God does not forgive, a more relevant question is if Hindus are condemned to eternal hell since that would be the implication of a sin that can never be gotten rid of.

The answer is that most Hindu Acharyas or teachers reject the idea of eternal hell.

Does God then have no role in reducing the effect of sin?

Nanda: "But how can we obtain God's grace? Has He really the power to bestow grace?"

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): "I see. You think as the intellectuals do; one reaps the results of one's actions. Give up these ideas. The effect of Karma wears away if one takes refuge in God. I prayed to the Divine Mother with flowers in my hand: 'Here, Mother, take Thy sin; here take Thy virtue. I don't want either of these; give me only real bhakti. Here, Mother, take Thy good; here take Thy bad. I don't want any of Thy good or bad; give me only real bhakti. Here, Mother, take Thy dharma; here, take Thy adharma. I don't want any of Thy dharma and adharma; give me only real bhakti. Here, Mother, take Thy knowledge; here take Thy ignorance. I don't want any of Thy knowledge or ignorance; give me only real bhakti. Here, Mother, take Thy purity; here take Thy impurity. Give me only real bhakti [devotion].'"

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Visit to Nanda Bose's house,July 28, 1885

Pradip Gangopadhyay
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  • if you accept moksha as eternal by logic eternal andhamas is also there there can be some jiva who are qualified or make themselves qualified to go to eternal andhamas just like moksha. moksha requires sadhana to achieve similarly eternal hell requires dushadhana this is phiolosphy of most intelligent acharya in bharata Varsha Madhvacharya @pradipgangopadhyay – Prasanna R Jan 29 '19 at 12:46
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    100% True sir ! – Sethu Srivatsa Koduru Jun 15 '21 at 04:34
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According to Pushpadanta, chanting Shiva Mahima Stotra will free you from all 'sins'. Take it from here.

एककालं द्विकालं वा त्रिकालं यः पठेन्नरः
सर्वपाप-विनिर्मुक्तः शिव लोके महीयते|

ekakālaṁ dvikālaṁ vā trikālaṁ yaḥ paṭhennaraḥ |
sarvapāpa-vinirmuktaḥ śiva loke mahīyate || 42 ||

Whoever reads this once, twice or thrice (in a day) revels in the domain of Shiva, bereft of all sins. (42)

The quantifier 'all' seems to indicate there is no sin which is unforgivable.

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    Turiyababa u r very clever with ur approach here.. Now, thr are at least 100s of stotras which say that by reading them one can get rid of all sins. So, u hv opened the gate for 100 or more potential answers :D – Rickross Dec 02 '18 at 16:34