Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72
तस्मादशुभकर्मापि कर्मणा येन पातकम् । स्वल्पेनापि निहन्त्याशु याति स्वर्गं नरस्ततः
tasmādaśubhakarmāpi karmaṇā yena pātakam | svalpenāpi nihantyāśu yāti svargaṃ narastataḥ
Darum: Selbst wer durch unheilvolle Taten befleckt ist—wenn er durch irgendeine Handlung die Sünde rasch vernichtet, selbst mit geringem Bemühen—dann gelangt dieser Mensch in den Himmel.
Brāhmaṇa (continuing, as part of the dialogue)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A remorseful pilgrim performs a simple yet potent act—offering water, japa, or a small dāna—while a dark cloud of sin disperses, revealing a bright path upward.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma emphasizes transformation: sincere corrective action can rapidly neutralize sin and redirect one toward svarga.
Not specified in this verse; it prepares the ground for naming a particular vrata/niyama/tīrtha in the next request.
A general notion of pāpa-nāśa (sin-destruction) through a dharmic act; the specific practice is asked for subsequently.