Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38
प्रायश्चित्तसहस्रं वै गणयामो न किंचन । रुद्रजाप्याक्षराण्येव सोढुं बत न शक्नुमः
prāyaścittasahasraṃ vai gaṇayāmo na kiṃcana | rudrajāpyākṣarāṇyeva soḍhuṃ bata na śaknumaḥ
ആയിരം പ്രായശ്ചിത്തങ്ങളെയും ഞങ്ങൾ ഒന്നുമല്ലെന്ന് എണ്ണുന്നു; എന്നാൽ രുദ്രജപത്തിന്റെ അക്ഷരങ്ങളേ—അയ്യോ!—ഞങ്ങൾ സഹിക്കാനാവില്ല.
Pātakanāyakāḥ (speaking to Yama)
Scene: A visual metaphor: stacks of ‘prāyaścitta’ ledgers dismissed as trivial, while glowing syllables of Rudra-japa appear as blazing letters that force dark beings to recoil.
FAQs
Mantra-devotion to Rudra is exalted as more transformative than routine expiations, striking at sin’s root.
No specific tīrtha; the verse glorifies the mantra itself.
Rudra-japa (repetition/recitation), highlighted as exceptionally potent compared to standard prāyaścittas.