Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36
ततो निवृत्तः शापाच्च तस्या वचनगौरवात् । तत्याज पादयोरंभः पादौ कल्मषतां गतौ
tato nivṛttaḥ śāpācca tasyā vacanagauravāt | tatyāja pādayoraṃbhaḥ pādau kalmaṣatāṃ gatau
Then, turning back from the curse out of respect for her words, he let the water fall upon his own feet—whereupon his feet became tainted.
Narrator (Purāṇic recounting)
Scene: The king lowers his hands; the cupped water spills onto his own feet. A visible darkening/taint symbolically spreads over the feet while the guru remains composed and Madayantī watches anxiously.
FAQs
Even when wrongdoing is halted, the momentum of anger can leave a residue; dharma requires inner purification, not only stopping the act.
No site is mentioned; the verse explains an etymological/narrative cause for the king’s later epithet.
The verse shows a ritual gesture: water held for a speech-act (curse) is released; here it falls on the feet, symbolically bearing the taint.