Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
ये पुनः शास्त्रमुत्सृज्य कामलोभप्रपीडिताः । प्रायश्चित्तं वदिष्यन्ति ते वै निरयगामिनः
ye punaḥ śāstramutsṛjya kāmalobhaprapīḍitāḥ | prāyaścittaṃ vadiṣyanti te vai nirayagāminaḥ
Mais ceux qui, rejetant l’autorité du śāstra et tourmentés par le désir et l’avidité, énoncent (inventent) des prāyaścitta, ceux-là vont assurément vers des états infernaux.
Śiva (deduced from adhyāya-context)
Tirtha: Brahma-tīrtha (context)
Type: ghat
Listener: Mahīpāla (king)
Scene: A stern sage cautions against greed-driven ‘invented’ rites; shadowy figures bargain over ritual shortcuts while a dark path toward naraka is hinted in the background, contrasted with the bright ghāṭa of orthodox practice.
FAQs
Religious remedies must be grounded in śāstra; desire-driven, self-serving distortions of Dharma bring spiritual downfall.
The warning is delivered within the Brahmatīrtha glorification context of Revā-khaṇḍa, though this verse itself is ethical rather than geographical.
Do not invent prāyaścitta; follow śāstra-prescribed expiations.