Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 87
मृगयुश्च दुरात्मासौ कर्मचण्डाल एव सः । अधर्मिष्ठो ह्यसद्वृत्तः कदाचिच्च शिवालयम् । शिवरात्र्यां च संप्राप्तो ह्युषितः शिवसन्निधौ
mṛgayuśca durātmāsau karmacaṇḍāla eva saḥ | adharmiṣṭho hyasadvṛttaḥ kadācicca śivālayam | śivarātryāṃ ca saṃprāpto hyuṣitaḥ śivasannidhau
Cet homme à l’esprit mauvais était aussi chasseur—un véritable « caṇḍāla » par ses actes. Très adonné à l’adharma et de conduite vile, il vint un jour à un temple de Śiva; et, la nuit de Śivarātri, il y arriva et y demeura, tout près de la présence de Śiva.
Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Śiva-ālaya in Kedāra-kṣetra (implied)
Type: temple
Scene: A rough hunter, bow and quiver, arrives at a Śiva temple at night; lamps flicker, devotees keep vigil, the sinner sits near the sanctum, held by an unseen sanctity.
FAQs
Contact with Śiva’s sacred space—especially on Śivarātri—can initiate profound karmic reversal even for the fallen.
A Śiva temple within the Kedāra sacred region (Kedārakhaṇḍa’s pilgrimage geography).
Being present at a Śivālaya on Śivarātri night (and staying near Śiva), anticipating the theme of night-vigil.