The word papa is a commonly used Sanskrit word. It is used by people, who do not even know Sanskrit, as it is present in almost every Indian language. The widely used meaning of the word papa is sin.
The signs of papa are that it leads away from dharma to unrighteousness. It is the cause of misery and the undesirable. It leads to adversity and the destruction of a person. Papa is committed due to the absence of the control of the sense organs. It also results due to the non-performance of the regular duties stipulated in the Vedas.
Human beings can commit papa even by their minds. Any action that has a possibility of leading to one’s committing papa is also papa. In this sense, drinking intoxicating liquors becomes papa because that could lead one to committing some bad or evil actions. In Sanatana Dharma, killing of living beings other than for dharma and food, stealing, ungratefulness, and the company of the evil are considered to be papa.
Papa is said to be ten divided into three categories depending upon whether it is committed by the body, speech, or the mind. Killing, stealing, and having a relationship with someone else’s wife are three papas committed by the body. Speaking unreal things, roughness in speech, calumny, and untruth are four papas committed by speech. Hiding one’s true intentions from others, having ill-feeling towards others, and thinking that all actions are purposeless are three papas committed by the mind.
The papa committed by a husband affects the wife and vice versa. The papa committed by a spiritual guru affects the disciple and vice versa. The papa committed by the person for whom a priest is performing some rite affects the priest and vice versa. However, in the Kaliyuga, generally it is only the person committing the papa, who gets its results.