Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
महाकाल उवाच । अधर्मभेदा विज्ञेयाश्चित्तवृत्तिप्रभेदतः । स्थूलाः सूक्ष्मा असूक्ष्माश्च कोटिभेदैरनेकशः
mahākāla uvāca | adharmabhedā vijñeyāścittavṛttiprabhedataḥ | sthūlāḥ sūkṣmā asūkṣmāśca koṭibhedairanekaśaḥ
ಮಹಾಕಾಲನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಚಿತ್ತವೃತ್ತಿಗಳ ಭೇದದಿಂದ ಅಧರ್ಮದ ಭೇದಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕು. ಅವು ಸ್ಥೂಲ, ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ಮತ್ತು ಮಧ್ಯಮವಾಗಿ ಕೋಟಿ ಕೋಟಿ ವಿಧಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗುತ್ತವೆ.
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.