Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42
धर्मज्ञश्च कृतज्ञश्च सर्वसत्त्वहिते रतः । अकामात्पातकं जातं कथं शुद्धिर्भविष्यति
dharmajñaśca kṛtajñaśca sarvasattvahite rataḥ | akāmātpātakaṃ jātaṃ kathaṃ śuddhirbhaviṣyati
मी धर्मज्ञ आहे, कृतज्ञ आहे आणि सर्व प्राण्यांच्या हितासाठी रत असतो. तरीही अनाहूतपणे माझ्याकडून पातक झाले—आता शुद्धी कशी होईल?
Citrasena
Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛkṣaśṛṅga
Scene: The king, visibly troubled, speaks with humility to the sage, describing his virtues yet confessing an unintended sin; the atmosphere is heavy with moral sorrow.
FAQs
Good character does not erase unintended wrongdoing; dharma emphasizes purification through appropriate, guided expiation.
The Revā Khaṇḍa context aligns with Narmadā-region sacred geography, but this verse centers on ethical purification rather than a named tīrtha.
None in this verse; it poses the central question that the forthcoming verses are expected to answer.