Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
अजापालो यदा राजा सर्वलोकहिते रतः । अजारूपाः प्रयांति स्म व्याधयः सकला द्विजाः । तदा रात्रौ समानीय तस्मिन्स्थाने दधाति सः
ajāpālo yadā rājā sarvalokahite rataḥ | ajārūpāḥ prayāṃti sma vyādhayaḥ sakalā dvijāḥ | tadā rātrau samānīya tasminsthāne dadhāti saḥ
Ketika Raja Ajāpāla tekun demi kesejahteraan semua insan, wahai kaum dwija, segala penyakit datang dalam rupa kambing. Lalu pada malam hari ia menghimpun mereka dan menempatkan (mengurung) mereka di tempat itu juga.
Sūta (continuing narration)
Tirtha: Ajāgṛha
Type: kshetra
Listener: brāhmaṇas / dvijas
Scene: A dharmic king at night gathers goat-formed diseases and confines them at a marked sacred spot; the atmosphere is hushed, moonlit, and protective.
FAQs
A righteous ruler devoted to lokahita participates in removing collective suffering; sacred places become instruments of healing.
The ‘place’ associated with Ajāgṛhā within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, presented as a locus for containing/dissolving disease.
No explicit rite is detailed; the verse narrates a practice of gathering and placing the manifested diseases at the sacred spot at night.