Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31
ततः संचिंत्य सुचिरं प्रोवाच गौतमस्तदा । कुरु चान्द्रायणशतं कृच्छ्राणां च सहस्रकम्
tataḥ saṃciṃtya suciraṃ provāca gautamastadā | kuru cāndrāyaṇaśataṃ kṛcchrāṇāṃ ca sahasrakam
ครั้นแล้วพระโคตมะครุ่นคิดอยู่นาน จึงกล่าวว่า “จงปฏิบัติพรตจันทรายณะหนึ่งร้อยครั้ง และบำเพ็ญกฤจฉระตบะหนึ่งพันประการ”
Gautama Ṛṣi
Type: kshetra
Scene: Gautama pauses in contemplation, then delivers a stern, precise instruction: one hundred Cāndrāyaṇas and one thousand Kṛcchras; the scene conveys the weight of dharma and the scale of expiation.
FAQs
Atonement is not merely emotional regret; it is concretized through rigorous, rule-bound vows prescribed by a competent authority.
This verse focuses on prāyaścitta disciplines; the tīrtha-circuit and Hāṭakeśvara are developed in the subsequent verses.
A hundred Cāndrāyaṇa vows (moon-regulated fasting discipline) and a thousand Kṛcchra penances (austerity regimen) are prescribed.