Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 185
चिंतयामास दुःखार्तः कथं कार्यं मया भवेत् । इत्येवं चिंतयानस्य मतिर्जाता महात्मनः । पुत्रः स कथ्यते लोके पितरं त्रायते तु यः
ciṃtayāmāsa duḥkhārtaḥ kathaṃ kāryaṃ mayā bhavet | ityevaṃ ciṃtayānasya matirjātā mahātmanaḥ | putraḥ sa kathyate loke pitaraṃ trāyate tu yaḥ
Accablé de chagrin, il se dit : «Que dois-je faire ?» Tandis qu’il méditait ainsi, une noble résolution naquit en ce grand être : dans le monde, on n’appelle “fils” que celui qui délivre vraiment son père.
Narrator (contextual)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The king sits in sorrowful contemplation, hands to chest or forehead, then his face brightens with a firm dharmic resolve as the maxim about a true son arises within him.
FAQs
A son’s highest dharma is to work for his father’s protection and spiritual uplift—ultimately, his liberation.
The broader frame is Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa region), setting up a pilgrimage-based means for pitṛ-mokṣa.
No specific rite is stated here; it establishes the ethical principle that motivates later tīrtha-yātrā and acts for the father’s release.