Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42
निवर्त्य कर्मणस्तस्मात्पित्ःन् प्रोवाच पाण्डव । रामः परमधर्मात्मा यदिदं रुधिरं मया
nivartya karmaṇastasmātpitḥn provāca pāṇḍava | rāmaḥ paramadharmātmā yadidaṃ rudhiraṃ mayā
Nachdem er von jener Tat abgelassen hatte, o Pāṇḍava, sprach er zu den Pitṛs: „Rāma ist höchst rechtschaffen. Was aber dieses von mir vergossene Blut betrifft …“
Narrator (likely Sūta/Vyāsa tradition) addressing Yudhiṣṭhira; quoted speech attributed to Rāma
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (explicitly addressed)
Scene: The ascetic, now subdued, turns toward the unseen/ethereal Pitṛs with folded hands, beginning a confession about bloodshed; a faint vision of Rāma as the dharma-ideal may appear in the background as a moral reference.
FAQs
Even after harsh deeds, one must turn back to dharma, acknowledge consequences, and seek purificatory resolution in a righteous way.
The immediate verse sets up the Pitṛ-related narrative that culminates in the Devamārga and the Narmadā–Sāgara-saṅgama tīrtha described in the following verses.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the Pitṛ instruction that follows.