Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 51
तथान्यैः क्षत्रविट्शूद्रस्त्रीगोहत्या दिपातकैः । वीरहत्याश्वहत्याभ्यां मुच्यते नात्र संशयः
tathānyaiḥ kṣatraviṭśūdrastrīgohatyā dipātakaiḥ | vīrahatyāśvahatyābhyāṃ mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ
Ebenso wird er von anderen Sünden befreit—wie dem Töten eines Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, Śūdra, einer Frau oder einer Kuh—und vom Töten eines Helden oder eines Pferdes; daran besteht kein Zweifel.
Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)
Scene: A penitent devotee with downcast eyes applies Tripuṇḍra; behind him, shadowy forms symbolizing grave sins dissolve into ash-like light, while a compassionate Śiva presence is implied above.
FAQs
The text magnifies the purificatory power of the Śaiva observance, portraying it as capable of dissolving even severe wrongdoing.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the passage is doctrinal/ritual in focus.
Implied: continued practice of Tripuṇḍra/bhasma dhāraṇa as a prāyaścitta-like purifier.