Real prāyaścitta is knowledge. A thief is committing theft and going to the prison, suffers for six months, again he comes out, and again he commits theft, and within four days again he is put into the prison. We have seen many such cases. He . . . the thief comes out of the jail, and exactly after four days he's again put into the jail. So this action and reaction—one has committed theft, and the reaction is that he is put into the jail—this is not actually beneficial. Real is that thief must be given knowledge. Knowledge.
For want of knowledge, the whole world is suffering for want of knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving actual knowledge of the living entity, vimarśanam. Vimarśana means that think over the matter, that "Why I am doing this?" This is called brahma-jijñāsā. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. Means when a person becomes inquisitive about this "Why?" "Why I am suffering?" then he becomes intelligent. Then he comes to the standard of human life. And there is Upaniṣad, Kena Upaniṣad. Kena means "why."
Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he placed this question, "Why? Why I am suffering?" Ke āmi', 'kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya' (CC Madhya 20.102). "I do not want to die. Why there is death? I do not want to suffer from disease. Why there is disease? I do not want to take birth. Why I am put into the womb of mother again and again? Janma-mṛtyu jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). And I do not want to become old. Why I am forced to become old?" When a person comes to this standard, to inquire, "Why these things are there?" this is real intelligence.