Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26
अट्टहासान् प्रमुञ्चन्ति कष्टरूपा नरास्तदा । निमेषोन्मेषणं चैव कुर्वन्ति लिपिकर्मसु
aṭṭahāsān pramuñcanti kaṣṭarūpā narāstadā | nimeṣonmeṣaṇaṃ caiva kurvanti lipikarmasu
En ce temps-là, des hommes à l’aspect lugubre éclataient d’un rire âpre ; et, dans leurs travaux d’écriture, ils faisaient d’étranges mouvements de cligner et de ne pas cligner, comme saisis par l’effroi.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)
Listener: Bharata-uttama
Scene: Grim-faced men erupt into harsh laughter; scribes at their writing boards blink and freeze in odd rhythms, as if seized by invisible dread.
FAQs
When cosmic balance shifts, inner fear and disorder surface outwardly—purity of mind and steadiness are the dharmic refuge.
None is named; the verse lists societal/psychological omens within the Tripura-saṃhāra narrative.
None explicitly; the passage functions as an omen-catalog rather than a ritual instruction.