Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29
सोऽब्रवीन्नृपतिश्चायं कुष्ठव्याधिसमन्वितः । साधयिष्यति सन्दीप्तं सुनिर्विण्णो हुताशनम्
so'bravīnnṛpatiścāyaṃ kuṣṭhavyādhisamanvitaḥ | sādhayiṣyati sandīptaṃ sunirviṇṇo hutāśanam
Il répondit : «Ce roi est atteint de la maladie de la lèpre. Accablé d’un profond désespoir, il veut entrer dans le feu flamboyant.»
Citizen/Man questioned by the kārpaṭika (unnamed)
Listener: Kārpaṭika
Scene: Inside a palace chamber: the king, skin marked by leprosy, sits despondent near a ritual fire; attendants look helpless as the idea of entering the flames looms.
FAQs
Suffering can push one toward hopelessness, but Purāṇic dharma redirects despair into purification and sacred refuge.
Not named here; the leprosy affliction becomes the reason for seeking the chapter’s sarvavyādhi-kṣaya tīrtha.
A harmful act (entering fire) is mentioned as the king’s intent, which the narrative will counter with a tīrtha-based remedy.