Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17
मातापितरावूचतुः । एकः पापानि कुरुते फलं भुंक्ते महा जनः । भोक्तारो विप्रमुच्यंते कर्ता दोषेण लिप्यते
mātāpitarāvūcatuḥ | ekaḥ pāpāni kurute phalaṃ bhuṃkte mahā janaḥ | bhoktāro vipramucyaṃte kartā doṣeṇa lipyate
Die Eltern sagten: „Einer begeht die Sünden, doch ein anderer – irgendein ‚großer Mann‘ – genießt die Frucht. Wer nur den Nutzen verzehrt, mag frei ausgehen; der Täter aber wird von der Schuld befleckt.“
Parents (mātā-pitarau)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Their son (the in-story questioner)
Scene: The parents, calm and authoritative, explain karmic mechanics: the doer is stained, while the consumer of gains may be released; the son listens, troubled.
FAQs
Moral responsibility (kartṛtva) matters: even if others enjoy the profit, the one who commits wrongdoing accrues the दोष (fault) and karmic stain.
The broader context is Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya (Prabhāsa region), though this verse itself focuses on ethical karma rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; it is an ethical teaching on karma, agency, and culpability.