Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 108
व्याख्याता धर्मशास्त्राणां यथा साक्षाद्बृहस्पतिः । किं त्वहं विविधान्धर्माल्लोंकानां वर्णये भृशम्
vyākhyātā dharmaśāstrāṇāṃ yathā sākṣādbṛhaspatiḥ | kiṃ tvahaṃ vividhāndharmālloṃkānāṃ varṇaye bhṛśam
Ich gebe mich als Ausleger der Dharma-Śāstras aus, als wäre ich Bṛhaspati selbst in Person; und doch verkünde ich dem Volk lautstark vielerlei Arten von „religiösen Pflichten“.
A repentant sinner (self-confession narrative; specific name not in snippet)
Listener: Interlocutor
Scene: A public expounder addressing a crowd, elevated seat, animated gestures; subtle visual irony—outer sanctity vs inner corruption hinted by shadowed expression or concealed wine/meat motifs (symbolic).
FAQs
Pretending to be a great authority on dharma while lacking inner purity is itself a grave moral failing.
No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a moral self-confession within the narrative.
None explicitly; the verse focuses on ethical integrity rather than a specific rite.