Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18
येषामथ कृतं सज्जं कुम्भीपाकं सुदारुणम् । रौरवः शाल्मलिर्देव दृष्ट्वा तान्दिवि संस्थितान् । वैलक्ष्यं परमं गत्वा व्यापारं त्यक्तवानसौ
yeṣāmatha kṛtaṃ sajjaṃ kumbhīpākaṃ sudāruṇam | rauravaḥ śālmalirdeva dṛṣṭvā tāndivi saṃsthitān | vailakṣyaṃ paramaṃ gatvā vyāpāraṃ tyaktavānasau
For those for whom the dreadful hells—Kumbhīpāka, Raurava, and Śālmalī—had been made ready, Dharmarāja (O Lord) saw them instead established in heaven; reaching the utmost shame, he abandoned even his own office.
Narrator (contextual; within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya dialogue)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A stark juxtaposition: visions of dreadful hells—boiling cauldrons (Kumbhīpāka), terrifying torment (Raurava), thorny silk-cotton tree (Śālmalī)—yet the same souls appear seated in svarga; Dharmarāja flushes with embarrassment and withdraws from duty.
FAQs
The tīrtha’s redeeming power is so great that even those destined for hell are lifted to heaven.
Prabhāsa Kṣetra, whose mahātmyam is shown to override expected punishments.
No explicit rite is stated; the verse highlights the consequence of tīrtha-contact/merit rather than a specific ritual.
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