Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 69, Shloka 56
Adhyaya 69 — The King’s Neglect of His Wife and the Restoration of Dharma
राजोवाच किं कृतं हि मया ब्रह्मन् ! ज्ञानादज्ञानतोऽपि वा ।
येन त्वत्तोऽर्घमर्हामि नाहमभ्यागतश्चिरात् ॥
rājovāca kiṃ kṛtaṃ hi mayā brahman! jñānād ajñānato 'pi vā | yena tvatto 'rgham arhāmi nāham abhyāgataś cirāt ||
国王说道：“婆罗门啊，我究竟做了什么——无论有意还是无意——以致我不配从您处受取阿尔伽亚（迎敬之供水）？我隔了很久才来拜见您。”
FAQs
The king models accountability: he asks not only about deliberate wrongdoing but also negligent harm. Purāṇic ethics often treat ignorance as consequential, urging vigilance in dharma.
Dharma instruction via dialogue, embedded within Manvantara narrative. It advances the didactic arc leading to the specific fault and its karmic/ritual effect.
Approaching a sage ‘after a long time’ suggests delayed repentance. The question opens the door to prāyaścitta logic: recognition of fault is the first inner offering, preceding external ritual offerings.