Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
तत्राभूद्ब्राह्मणः कश्चित्कुष्ठव्याधिसमन्वितः । पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन यौवनेसमुपस्थिते
tatrābhūdbrāhmaṇaḥ kaścitkuṣṭhavyādhisamanvitaḥ | pūrvakarmavipākena yauvanesamupasthite
അവിടെ ഒരു ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; അവൻ കുഷ്ഠരോഗബാധിതനായിരുന്നു. പൂർവകർമ്മവിപാകത്താൽ ആ വ്യാധി അവന്റെ യൗവനത്തിൽ തന്നെ വന്നെത്തി।
Sūta
Tirtha: Viṭaṃkapura / Hāṭakeśvara narrative-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis
Scene: A young brāhmaṇa, body marked by leprosy, sits in quiet despair near a coastal city lane or courtyard; the sea is distant; the mood is compassionate and contemplative.
FAQs
Suffering is framed within karma-vipāka, yet the tīrtha-māhātmya context signals that divine grace and right practice can transform one’s condition.
The story is set in and around Viṭaṃkapura, leading toward the Hāṭakeśvara-associated tīrthas described earlier.
None yet; the verse introduces the devotee’s predicament that will motivate religious action in subsequent verses.