Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 156
कृमिभिर्वेष्टितं गान्त्रं क्वचित्पश्यत्यवेष्टितम् । पुनः सा विस्मयाविष्टा तस्य भार्या गुणान्विता । उवाच दुष्कृतं तस्य साध्वसाविष्टचेतसा
kṛmibhirveṣṭitaṃ gāntraṃ kvacitpaśyatyaveṣṭitam | punaḥ sā vismayāviṣṭā tasya bhāryā guṇānvitā | uvāca duṣkṛtaṃ tasya sādhvasāviṣṭacetasā
Bisweilen sah sie seinen Leib von Würmern umwunden, bisweilen sah sie ihn unumschlungen. Da sprach seine tugendhafte Gattin, von Staunen und Furcht ergriffen, von seiner Verfehlung.
Sūta (deduced) describing the wife’s observation and impending speech
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed in surrounding frame)
Scene: Midnight vision: the wife sees her husband’s body alternately swarmed by worms and then clear, as if a karmic illusion; she recoils in astonishment and fear, then steadies herself to speak.
FAQs
Sin (duṣkṛta) bears visible and invisible consequences; concealment cannot prevent its fruits from manifesting.
The story’s setting remains the Revā–Eraṇḍī Saṅgama tīrtha-mahātmya, though this verse focuses on karmic effects.
No direct prescription; it foreshadows the need for confession and prāyaścitta (expiation).