Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55
सोऽपि चौरो निराशश्च क्षुत्क्षामः शीतविह्वलः । अवतीर्य द्रुमात्तस्मादुपायं कंचिदाश्रितः
so'pi cauro nirāśaśca kṣutkṣāmaḥ śītavihvalaḥ | avatīrya drumāttasmādupāyaṃ kaṃcidāśritaḥ
Ce voleur aussi—sans espoir, amaigri par la faim et frissonnant de froid—descendit de cet arbre et s’en remit à quelque stratagème.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Scene: A gaunt thief, shivering and hungry, climbs down from a tree at dawn, eyes darting as he devises a plan—caught between vice and the pull of the nearby Śiva presence.
FAQs
Even a fallen person, driven by suffering, can turn toward a new course—setting the stage for grace through dharmic contact.
The setting remains the Śiva-liṅga/temple sphere of Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the verse itself focuses on the character’s condition.
None directly; it advances the narrative that leads to the later stated Śivarātri fast and worship.