Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 92
सर्वपापहरं पुण्यं तच्छृणुध्वं द्विजोत्तमाः । स्तेनः कोऽपि महापापो घातितो राजदूतकैः
sarvapāpaharaṃ puṇyaṃ tacchṛṇudhvaṃ dvijottamāḥ | stenaḥ ko'pi mahāpāpo ghātito rājadūtakaiḥ
اسمعوا، يا أفضلَ ذوي الميلادين، ذلك الفضل الطاهر الذي يمحو جميع الخطايا. كان هناك لصٌّ ما—عظيمُ الإثم—قد قُتل على يد أعوان الملك.
Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇas
Scene: A bound thief is led by stern royal officers toward execution; in the background, a faint Śaiva mark or ash pouch hints at unseen grace, while a narrator-sage gestures as if recounting the tale.
FAQs
The text prepares a redemption narrative: even grave sin can be countered by powerful Śaiva merit and divine association.
Kedāra, as the doctrinal setting for teachings on sin-removal and Śaiva marks of merit.
Not yet a ritual detail in this verse; it introduces a story meant to explain the all-sin-destroying merit (linked to vibhūti/tripuṇḍra in context).