Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 136
एतेन पयसा विद्मो दुर्जनः सुजनो यथा । केचिद्रक्तनदीनां च तीरेष्वास्तिक्यबुद्धयः
etena payasā vidmo durjanaḥ sujano yathā | kecidraktanadīnāṃ ca tīreṣvāstikyabuddhayaḥ
„An eben diesem ‚Trank‘ erkennen wir, wie sich der Böse vom Guten unterscheidet.“ Und einige, deren Geist zur Frömmigkeit geneigt war, standen an den Ufern von Blutflüssen.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context)
Scene: A horrific landscape with streams like rivers of blood; on their banks stand a few calm, pious-minded figures—hands folded, eyes lowered—while others nearby revel or recoil, making the moral contrast visible.
FAQs
Conduct reveals character: even in dreadful circumstances, the virtuous retain faith and restraint while the wicked revel in impurity.
No named tirtha appears; “rivers of blood” is metaphorical/narrative imagery.
None explicitly, though it hints at ‘āstikya’ (pious disposition) as a dharmic ideal.