Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 12
हर उवाच । धर्मारण्ये सुरपते ब्रह्महत्या न पीडयेत् । हत्या गवां द्विजातीनां बालस्य योषितामपि
hara uvāca | dharmāraṇye surapate brahmahatyā na pīḍayet | hatyā gavāṃ dvijātīnāṃ bālasya yoṣitāmapi
Hara sprach: „O Herr der Götter, im Dharmāraṇya bedrängt die Pein der Brahmahatyā nicht. Selbst die Sünde, die durch das Töten von Kühen, von Dvija (Zweimalgeborenen), eines Kindes oder einer Frau entsteht, bleibt dort nicht bestehen.“
Śiva (Hara)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: Surapति/Devendra (Indra)
Scene: Śiva declares the extraordinary power of Dharmāraṇya; the forest seems luminous—trees, waters, and air subtly radiate sanctity; Indra’s face shifts from fear to relief.
FAQs
A sanctified place (kṣetra) empowered by divine will can neutralize even grave karmic burdens when approached with reverence and purity.
Dharmāraṇya is explicitly glorified as a kṣetra where severe sins do not afflict the devotee.
Implicitly, seeking refuge in the kṣetra; the explicit instruction to enter and bathe is given in the next verse.