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Consider a person has forgetfulness as a habit, I.e., forgetting small things or small details regularly.

Does it consider as a sin?

Is there any incident in scriptures where a person forgets about something for a short period of time which has to be remembered resulting problem/pain in others life?

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    i forgot to pick up my grandson from school. this caused problem in my son's life. penalty is that i'm now in nursing home.
    – mar
    Feb 7, 2019 at 19:44
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    " If yes then what is the penality and what is the sin attached to it?" Probably like irresponsibility or neglect.
    – Ikshvaku
    Feb 8, 2019 at 2:21
  • neglecting by giving least importance to remember.
    – satya
    Feb 8, 2019 at 2:58

2 Answers 2

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One well-known saying I have heard since childhood is:

अष्टादश पुराणेषु व्यासस्य वचनद्वयम् | परोपकारः पुण्याय पापाय परपीडनम् ||

Meaning that through the 18 Puranas, Vyasadeva coveys the message that doing good to others is virtue, and doing bad to others is sin.

If someone is forgetful by nature, he is not harming anyone intentionally. So I do not think it can be considered as sin in any sense.

"Smritibhranghsha" that Sri Krishna referred to in Gita (Gita 2/63) is totally different from forgetfulness.

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The habit of forgetfulness is considered as a bad habit, especially if it is exhibited in dharmic activities. That is, if a person is bounded to perform a duty and exhibits incautiousness towards such activities, then it maybe considered as a sin.

While enumerating that qualities that a king should not possess, Narada mentions incautiousness also

Dost thou keep thyself free from the fourteen vices of kings, viz., atheism, untruthfulness, anger, incautiousness, procrastination, non-visit to the wise, idleness, restlessness of mind, taking counsels with only one man, consultation with persons unacquainted with the science of profit, abandonment of a settled plan, divulgence of counsels, non-accomplishment of beneficial projects, and undertaking everything without reflection?

[Section 5, Lokapala Sabhakhayana Parva, Sabha Parva, The Mahabharata]

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