Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 129
एवमुक्ते तु वचने शक्रेण द्विजरूपिणा । त्वरन्महेंद्राय तदा शिवर उत्कृत्त्य वै मुदा । स्वकरेण ददौ तस्मै प्रह्लादस्यात्मजोऽसुरः
evamukte tu vacane śakreṇa dvijarūpiṇā | tvaranmaheṃdrāya tadā śivara utkṛttya vai mudā | svakareṇa dadau tasmai prahlādasyātmajo'suraḥ
Quand Śakra (Indra), déguisé en brāhmaṇa, eut parlé ainsi, l’asura, fils de Prahlāda, se hâta vers Mahendra et, dans la joie, se trancha lui-même la tête, puis la déposa en offrande dans les mains d’Indra.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Kedāra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Indra, disguised as a brāhmaṇa, receives the severed crowned head as the asura prince joyfully cuts it off and places it into Indra’s hands—an intense, sacrificial tableau.
FAQs
The verse exalts dāna taken to its highest ideal—giving without hesitation, even at great personal cost, when done with joy and selflessness.
The setting is the Kedāra sacred landscape (Kedārakhaṇḍa), where virtues like dāna are praised as part of the site’s māhātmya.
No formal rite is prescribed here; the focus is on the act of dāna itself—offering to one who asks (here, Indra in brāhmaṇa guise).