Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38
द्वादशाब्दं कनिष्ठोपि ब्रह्महत्याव्रतं द्विजाः । चरित्वा सत्रयागेऽस्मिन्नाजगाम पुनर्मुदा
dvādaśābdaṃ kaniṣṭhopi brahmahatyāvrataṃ dvijāḥ | caritvā satrayāge'sminnājagāma punarmudā
Ô deux-fois-nés, même le frère cadet—ayant observé durant douze années le vœu d’expiation pour la brahmahatyā—revint avec joie à ce sacrifice satra.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)
Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijāḥ (explicit address)
Scene: The younger brother, lean from austerities, returns after twelve years; his face bright with relief and joy; the satra continues in the background.
FAQs
Even grave sins are approached through prescribed prāyaścitta; disciplined vrata restores eligibility for sacred participation.
Setukhaṇḍa broadly glorifies Setu/Rāmeśvaram, but this verse emphasizes expiation and return to yajña rather than a specific tirtha act.
A twelve-year brahmahatyā-vrata (expiatory vow) as a means of purification.