Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
महाकाल उवाच । अधर्मभेदा विज्ञेयाश्चित्तवृत्तिप्रभेदतः । स्थूलाः सूक्ष्मा असूक्ष्माश्च कोटिभेदैरनेकशः
mahākāla uvāca | adharmabhedā vijñeyāścittavṛttiprabhedataḥ | sthūlāḥ sūkṣmā asūkṣmāśca koṭibhedairanekaśaḥ
महाकाल बोले—चित्त की वृत्तियों के भेद से अधर्म के भेद जानने योग्य हैं। वे स्थूल, सूक्ष्म और मध्यम रूपों में कोटि-कोटि प्रकार से प्रकट होते हैं।
Mahākāla
Tirtha: Mahākāla-kṣetra (Ujjayinī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Mahākāla, austere and luminous, instructs a listener on the many gradations of adharma arising from shifting mental modes; the backdrop suggests a Śaiva kṣetra with cremation-ground symbolism and a temple silhouette.
FAQs
Adharma is rooted in the mind’s tendencies; therefore inner purification is essential, not merely outward conduct.
No tīrtha is referenced in this verse; it is a doctrinal introduction to the taxonomy of adharma.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse frames a teaching method—understanding adharma through mental dispositions.