Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11
पुलस्त्य उवाच । तच्छ्रुत्वा सुमहत्पापं स नृपो भयसंकुलम् । तां वै प्रसादयामास प्राणशेषां तदा मृगीम्
pulastya uvāca | tacchrutvā sumahatpāpaṃ sa nṛpo bhayasaṃkulam | tāṃ vai prasādayāmāsa prāṇaśeṣāṃ tadā mṛgīm
Pulastya berkata: “Mendengar kata-kata itu—sarat dengan dosa yang amat besar—raja itu diliputi ketakutan, lalu segera berusaha menenangkan serta memohon perkenan sang rusa betina yang tinggal sedikit sahaja nyawanya.”
Pulastya
Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Sage Pulastya narrates; the king, trembling, kneels or lowers his bow, hands folded, trying to appease the dying doe; the forest is hushed as life ebbs away.
FAQs
Recognition of sin should lead to humility and seeking appeasement; fear arises when conscience awakens to adharma.
Arbuda’s sacred region remains the narrative setting, underscoring that sacred geography heightens moral accountability.
Not a formal ritual; the act is prasādana—seeking appeasement/forgiveness to mitigate the curse’s force.