Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25
बृहस्पतिरुवाच । ये त्वया मदमत्तेन वालखिल्या महर्षयः । उल्लंघिताः स्थिता मार्गे गोष्पदं तर्त्तुमिच्छवः
bṛhaspatiruvāca | ye tvayā madamattena vālakhilyā maharṣayaḥ | ullaṃghitāḥ sthitā mārge goṣpadaṃ tarttumicchavaḥ
Bṛhaspati dit : «Ces grands sages Vālakhilya que toi—ivre d’orgueil—tu as outragés en les enjambant d’un bond, tandis qu’ils se tenaient sur le chemin, désirant traverser ne fût-ce qu’une eau minime, pareille à l’empreinte d’un sabot de vache…»
Bṛhaspati
Listener: Indra (Śakra, Śacīpati)
Scene: A narrow forest-path: tiny, radiant Vālakhilya sages stand or sit in tapas; Indra, majestic yet arrogant, strides/leaps over them; the sages’ stillness contrasts with Indra’s motion, foreshadowing karmic reversal.
FAQs
Pride toward sages is a grave aparādha; disrespecting the spiritually great invites karmic reversal even for the most powerful.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it explains the moral cause behind the ominous signs within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.
None directly; the implied prescription is ethical—honor ṛṣis and avoid arrogance, which is foundational to all tīrtha rites and Purāṇic dharma.