# Ultimate Atonement Maharaja Pariksit recapped the topics he had heard thus far, and then enquired how one can mitigate sinful reactions and escape the hellish suffering described at the conclusion of the previous Canto. In response, Sukadeva Goswami first prescribed the solution of ritual atonement (*prayascitta*). Maharaja Pariksit rejected this, sensing that people would invariably fall into the cycle of sin again, just like an elephant who bathes but then immediately covers itself in dust. Merely cancelling the bad with the good would not be a comprehensive solution. Sukadeva Goswami then offered the solution of cultivating knowledge (*jnana*), which removes ignorance, the deeper cause of sin. Maharaja Pariksit remained unconvinced, feeling that there was still a chance for the weeds of sin to reappear. The root cause needs to be addressed. In conclusion, Sukadeva Goswami established bhakti as the process which uproots sin in such a way that it will never come back. Just as the first rays of sunshine dissipate the fog, the unparalleled power of *bhakti* comprehensively destroys one’s sinful life and is therefore established as the ultimate atonement. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://bhagavata.keshavaswami.com/canto-06/e.p.i.c/e-escaping-hell-1-3/ultimate-atonement.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.