Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 71
ब्रह्मघ्ने च सुरापे च चौरे भग्नव्रते तथा । निष्कृतिर्विहिता सद्भिः कृतघ्ने नाऽस्ति निष्कृतिः
brahmaghne ca surāpe ca caure bhagnavrate tathā | niṣkṛtirvihitā sadbhiḥ kṛtaghne nā'sti niṣkṛtiḥ
ब्राह्मण-हंता, सुरापान करने वाला, चोर और व्रत-भंग करने वाले—इन सबके लिए सज्जनों ने प्रायश्चित्त बताया है; पर कृतघ्न के लिए कोई प्रायश्चित्त नहीं।
Mṛkaṇḍa (contextual continuation)
FAQs
Ingratitude is portrayed as a uniquely corrosive fault—worse than sins that have formal expiations—because it denies dharma at its root.
The verse supports the tīrtha narrative by motivating a grateful act (pratiṣṭhā and worship) tied to the local sacred place later named for the child’s friendship (Bālasakhya).
It references niṣkṛti (prāyaścitta) in principle, contrasting common expiations with the claimed non-expiability of kṛtaghna-doṣa.