Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
ऋषय ऊचुः । ब्रह्महत्या कथं जाता सुरेन्द्रस्य हि सूतज । एतन्नः सर्वमाचक्ष्व परं कौतूहलं हि नः
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | brahmahatyā kathaṃ jātā surendrasya hi sūtaja | etannaḥ sarvamācakṣva paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ
ഋഷികൾ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ സൂതപുത്രാ, സുരേന്ദ്രനായ ഇന്ദ്രനിൽ ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യ എങ്ങനെ സംഭവിച്ചു? ഇതെല്ലാം ഞങ്ങളോട് പറയുക; ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് മഹത്തായ കൗതുകമുണ്ട്।
Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)
Tirtha: Kāpāleśvara context (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis
Scene: A circle of sages in a forest hermitage question the Sūta’s son about Indra’s brahmahatyā; palm-leaf manuscripts and sacrificial fires appear in the background.
FAQs
Even exalted beings are bound by dharma and karma; inquiry into sin and expiation is part of learning sacred law.
The inquiry frames the origin-story that supports the glory of Kāpāleśvara in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.
No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse requests the narrative background for later expiatory instructions.