Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42
धर्मज्ञश्च कृतज्ञश्च सर्वसत्त्वहिते रतः । अकामात्पातकं जातं कथं शुद्धिर्भविष्यति
dharmajñaśca kṛtajñaśca sarvasattvahite rataḥ | akāmātpātakaṃ jātaṃ kathaṃ śuddhirbhaviṣyati
«Je connais le dharma, je suis reconnaissant et voué au bien de tous les êtres. Pourtant, un péché est né de moi sans que je le veuille : comment la purification adviendra-t-elle ?»
Citrasena
Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛkṣaśṛṅga
Scene: The king, visibly troubled, speaks with humility to the sage, describing his virtues yet confessing an unintended sin; the atmosphere is heavy with moral sorrow.
FAQs
Good character does not erase unintended wrongdoing; dharma emphasizes purification through appropriate, guided expiation.
The Revā Khaṇḍa context aligns with Narmadā-region sacred geography, but this verse centers on ethical purification rather than a named tīrtha.
None in this verse; it poses the central question that the forthcoming verses are expected to answer.