Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 33
सोष्णीषमस्तका ये च कथां शृण्वंति पावनीम् । ते बलाकाः प्रजायन्ते पापिनो मनुजाधमाः
soṣṇīṣamastakā ye ca kathāṃ śṛṇvaṃti pāvanīm | te balākāḥ prajāyante pāpino manujādhamāḥ
Ces pécheurs, les plus vils des hommes, qui écoutent le récit sacré purificateur la tête encore couverte (par irrévérence), renaissent en oiseaux balākā, grues ou hérons.
Unknown (context not supplied; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)
Scene: A purāṇa-kathā assembly: a vyāsa on a low āsana, listeners seated on the ground; one man keeps his head covered in casual disregard; the narrative’s moral consequence is symbolized by a crane/heron silhouette behind him.
FAQs
Approach purāṇic kathā with reverence; disrespectful listening becomes a karmic fault.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it teaches general dharma for kathā-śravaṇa.
Maintain respectful posture and decorum—here, not covering the head while listening.