Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44
पापं पृथुतरं यस्य पुण्यमल्पतरं भवेत् । पूर्वं सुखी ततो दुःखी मिश्रस्यैतद्धि लक्षणम्
pāpaṃ pṛthutaraṃ yasya puṇyamalpataraṃ bhavet | pūrvaṃ sukhī tato duḥkhī miśrasyaitaddhi lakṣaṇam
But one whose sin is greater and whose merit is smaller is happy first and then becomes unhappy—this indeed is the mark of mixed karma.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A moral allegory: a person enjoying royal comforts under a bright sun, while behind him gathers a dark storm-cloud labeled pāpa; later the scene reverses—comfort fades, suffering arrives—illustrating mixed karma’s delayed turn.
FAQs
Worldly comfort can precede later suffering when hidden sin predominates; karma may mature after an initial pleasant phase.
No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.
None; it functions as a moral warning to correct conduct before consequences ripen.