Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 77
याति मज्जेदधौ पंके गोमये वा न जीवति । केशांगारैस्तथा भस्मभुजंगैर्निजलां नदीम्
yāti majjedadhau paṃke gomaye vā na jīvati | keśāṃgāraistathā bhasmabhujaṃgairnijalāṃ nadīm
Si, en rêve, quelqu’un s’en va et s’enfonce dans le caillé, dans la boue ou dans la bouse de vache, il ne survivra pas. De même, s’il voit une rivière dont l’eau n’est pas une eau véritable—pleine de cheveux, de braises et de serpents faits de cendre—c’est aussi un signe de mort.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration style)
Scene: A nightmare sequence: the dreamer sinks into curd, mire, or cow-dung; then beholds a river whose ‘water’ is hair, glowing embers, and ash-formed serpents—an anti-sacred river vision.
FAQs
Dreams reflecting impurity, inversion of nature, and dread imagery are presented as warnings—encouraging vigilance, repentance, and renewed dharmic living.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to a broader Purāṇic discussion of omens (ariṣṭa).
No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse functions as a diagnostic omen-description rather than a vrata or dāna instruction.