Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22
सोऽहं दुरात्मा पापीयान्स्वैरचारी मदोत्कटः । दंडधारी दुराचारः प्रचंडो निर्घृणः खलः
so'haṃ durātmā pāpīyānsvairacārī madotkaṭaḥ | daṃḍadhārī durācāraḥ pracaṃḍo nirghṛṇaḥ khalaḥ
मी तोच दुरात्मा होतो—अतिशय पापी, स्वैरचारी, मदाने उन्मत्त; दंडधारी अत्याचारी, प्रचंड, निर्दय आणि खल.
Rākṣasa
Listener: Vāmadeva
Scene: A stark moral portrait: the rākṣasa describes himself as staff-wielding oppressor—visualize him with a heavy daṇḍa lowered in shame, surrounded by faint silhouettes of frightened beings, while the sage’s calm presence offers a path out.
FAQs
Adharma is marked by arrogance, cruelty, and abuse of power; naming one’s faults truthfully is the first step toward purification.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a moral self-assessment.
None; the focus is on ethical diagnosis rather than ritual instruction.