Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51
पुत्रं प्रबोधयामासुः प्रायश्चित्तनिवृत्तये । तदा न शक्नुवंति स्म निवर्तयितुमं जसा
putraṃ prabodhayāmāsuḥ prāyaścittanivṛttaye | tadā na śaknuvaṃti sma nivartayitumaṃ jasā
പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കണമെന്നു അവർ പുത്രനെ ഉപദേശിച്ചു; എങ്കിലും അപ്പോൾ പോലും അവനെ എളുപ്പത്തിൽ തിരിച്ചു കൊണ്ടുവരാൻ കഴിഞ്ഞില്ല।
Narrator (contextual)
Scene: A household scene: elders and companions counsel a determined young man intent on expiation; gestures of pleading, the youth’s steadfast posture, a tense, sorrowful atmosphere.
FAQs
Even well-meant counsel may fail when one is gripped by guilt; dharma requires both resolve and right guidance.
The narrative arc proceeds toward Vāstupada, a sanctified place where doubts are removed through a revered authority.
The focus is on stopping an intended prāyaścitta; no new rite is prescribed in this verse.