Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3
उन्मादा ये ह्यपस्माराः पलादाश्च पिशाचकाः । देवैस्तेषामाधिपत्ये सोऽभ्यषिच्यत पावकिः
unmādā ye hyapasmārāḥ palādāśca piśācakāḥ | devaisteṣāmādhipatye so'bhyaṣicyata pāvakiḥ
وأما أولئك الذين يُدعون الجنون (أونمادا)، والنوبات الشبيهة بالصرع (أبَسْمَارا)، وأرواح بالادا، والبيشاتشا—فعليهم جميعًا، وبمشيئة الآلهة، أُقيمت لبافاكي (Pāvaki) مراسيم التتويج ليكون السيدَ والمسيطرَ عليهم.
Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration)
Tirtha: Sarasvatī-tīra (context)
Type: ghat
Scene: A solemn consecration: Pāvaki is anointed as overlord over the troubling hosts—personified madness and seizure-spirits, palāda beings, and piśācas—while devas witness; the atmosphere shifts from eerie to regulated, as if a seal is placed upon disorder.
FAQs
Afflictive forces are not ultimate; divine order appoints higher guardians, reminding devotees to seek lawful, dharmic protection rather than fear.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the passage is moving toward the Mahī river-māhātmya later in the adhyāya.
No explicit ritual is stated here; it establishes a divine hierarchy over harmful beings, supporting later refuge/propitiation themes.