Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35
रोहिताश्व उवाच । सर्वेषामेव पापानां विहितानां मुनीश्वर । किंचिद्व्रतं समाचक्ष्व दानं वा होममेव वा । विपाप्मा जायते येन पुरश्चरणवर्जितम्
rohitāśva uvāca | sarveṣāmeva pāpānāṃ vihitānāṃ munīśvara | kiṃcidvrataṃ samācakṣva dānaṃ vā homameva vā | vipāpmā jāyate yena puraścaraṇavarjitam
Rohitāśva dit : «Ô seigneur parmi les sages, pour ôter tous les péchés qui s’attachent à l’homme, enseigne-moi quelque observance—qu’il s’agisse d’un vrata (vœu sacré), d’un dāna (don), ou d’un homa (offrande au feu)—par laquelle on devienne sans péché même sans accomplir le rite complet du puraścaraṇa.»
Rohitāśva
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya
Scene: King Rohitāśva respectfully questions sage Mārkaṇḍeya in a forest hermitage, asking for a simple vow/charity/fire-offering that removes sins without full puraścaraṇa.
FAQs
A sincere seeker should ask for a practicable dharmic remedy—vrata, dāna, or homa—to cleanse accumulated sin.
This verse sits within Tīrthamāhātmya, but this specific line emphasizes expiation via vrata rather than naming a particular tīrtha.
It requests instruction about a vow (vrata), charity (dāna), or fire-offering (homa) that grants purity even without full puraścaraṇa.