Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 83
शैल उवाच । नाहं महाव्रते दुष्टः सेव्योऽहं सर्वदेहिनाम् । अतिखेदं करोत्येष ततः क्रुद्धस्तु वृत्रहा
śaila uvāca | nāhaṃ mahāvrate duṣṭaḥ sevyo'haṃ sarvadehinām | atikhedaṃ karotyeṣa tataḥ kruddhastu vṛtrahā
शैल बोला—“इस महाव्रत में मैं दुष्ट नहीं हूँ; मैं समस्त देहधारियों के लिए सेवनीय हूँ। पर यह (इन्द्र) अत्यधिक क्लेश देता है; इसलिए वृत्रहा क्रुद्ध होकर ऐसा करता है।”
Śaila
Scene: Śaila, now a composed male figure with mountain symbolism, speaks calmly, palms slightly open in explanation; behind him faint imagery of Indra—vajra, storm-clouds—suggests the true source of harassment; the woman listens, curse-hand lowering.
FAQs
Even one engaged in a ‘great vow’ must avoid becoming a cause of needless suffering; dharma is tested by the harm or relief one brings to others.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions within a narrative-ethical context rather than a direct sthala-māhātmya passage.
The verse alludes to a mahāvrata (great observance) but does not specify a concrete rite such as snāna, dāna, or japa.