Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33
ब्रह्महापि सुरापो वा स्तेयी वा गुरुतल्पगः । तत्संयोग्यपि वा वर्षं महापापी प्रकीर्तितः
brahmahāpi surāpo vā steyī vā gurutalpagaḥ | tatsaṃyogyapi vā varṣaṃ mahāpāpī prakīrtitaḥ
Even a slayer of a brāhmaṇa, or a drinker of intoxicants, or a thief, or one who violates the teacher’s bed—and even one who associates with such a sinner for a year—is declared a “great sinner”.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Trilocana-liṅga context)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrims/ṛṣis in the frame narrative
Scene: A didactic tableau: figures representing the four mahāpātakas stand in shadow at the edge of a Kāśī shrine precinct, while a pilgrim turns away from harmful company toward the temple lamps and the liṅga.
FAQs
Puranic dharma classifies certain acts—and even prolonged association with their perpetrators—as mahāpāpa, emphasizing moral vigilance.
The immediate verse lists sins; in the surrounding Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, Kāśī’s Śaiva sanctuary is the implied purifying refuge.
No ritual is prescribed in this verse; it defines categories of mahāpāpa (great sin).