Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37
शरीरस्य च मे गन्धो लोहस्येवासुखावहः । आत्मानं चावगच्छामि ब्रह्मघ्नमिति कुत्सितम्
śarīrasya ca me gandho lohasyevāsukhāvahaḥ | ātmānaṃ cāvagacchāmi brahmaghnamiti kutsitam
«Même l’odeur de mon corps est pénible, telle celle du fer ; et je me reconnais vil, marqué du sceau de “tueur de brāhmane”.»
Balarāma
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣi audience / pilgrims (implied)
Scene: Balarāma senses a harsh metallic odor from his own body; he looks at his hands as if stained by unseen guilt, realizing the stigma of brahmahatyā.
FAQs
Sin is not merely social—it is existential; inner and outer distress signals the need for purification and return to dharma.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as the arena for confronting brahmahatyā-like guilt and seeking cleansing.
No explicit rite here; it describes the felt marks of grave wrongdoing that motivate prāyaścitta.