Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28
एषोऽन्यः पंचमो नाम सुप्रसिद्धो विदारकः । मित्रद्रोहरताश्चात्र च्छिद्यंते करपत्रकैः
eṣo'nyaḥ paṃcamo nāma suprasiddho vidārakaḥ | mitradroharatāścātra cchidyaṃte karapatrakaiḥ
Cet autre enfer est le cinquième, célèbre sous le nom de Vidāraka, « le Déchireur ». Ici, ceux qui se complaisaient à trahir leurs amis sont taillés en pièces par des lames dites « feuilles-de-main ».
Skanda (deduced from Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)
Scene: A labeled naraka realm ‘Vidāraka’: traitors to friends are sliced by razor-like palm/leaf blades (karapatra imagery), with torn banners symbolizing broken alliances.
FAQs
Loyalty and trust are dharmic duties; betrayal of friendship is treated as a serious moral failure with heavy karmic consequence.
No tīrtha is identified in this verse; it remains within the chapter’s broader moral-cosmological exposition.
None; the teaching is ethical—avoid mitradroha and uphold dharmic relationships.