Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3
वृत्रं निहत्य वृत्रारिर्ब्रह्महत्यामवाप्तवान् । अनुतप्तोथ पप्रच्छ प्रायश्चित्तं पुरोहितम्
vṛtraṃ nihatya vṛtrārirbrahmahatyāmavāptavān | anutaptotha papraccha prāyaścittaṃ purohitam
વૃત્રનો વધ કરીને વૃત્રારિ (ઇન્દ્ર) બ્રહ્મહત્યાના પાપને પામ્યો. પશ્ચાત્તાપથી વ્યાકુળ થઈ તેણે પછી પોતાના પુરોહિતને પ્રાયશ્ચિત્ત વિષે પૂછ્યું।
Skanda
Listener: Agastya
Scene: Indra, still bearing the aura of battle, stands troubled and downcast before his priest (Bṛhaspati implied), hands lowered in shame; a shadowy personification of brahmahatyā clings behind him; the scene foreshadows a journey toward a purifying tīrtha.
FAQs
Even mighty beings must seek dharmic atonement; remorse and guidance from a priest/teacher lead toward purification.
The verse sets up the Dharmatīrtha-māhātmya narrative, preparing the context for a tīrtha-linked expiation.
It introduces prāyaścitta (expiation) as necessary after grave sin; the specific rite is to be explained in subsequent verses.