Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44
नृग उवाच । यद्यस्ति दुष्कृतं किंचित्प्रथमं प्रतिपादय । अनुज्ञातो यमेनैवं कृकलासो भवेति वै । ततो वर्षसहस्राणि कृकलासत्वमाप्तवान्
nṛga uvāca | yadyasti duṣkṛtaṃ kiṃcitprathamaṃ pratipādaya | anujñāto yamenaivaṃ kṛkalāso bhaveti vai | tato varṣasahasrāṇi kṛkalāsatvamāptavān
नृग म्हणाला— ‘जर काहीही पाप असेल तर ते प्रथम मला भोगू द्या।’ यमाने तसेच अनुमती दिली— ‘तू निश्चयच कृकलास (पाल) हो.’ मग तो हजारो वर्षे कृकलासत्वास प्राप्त झाला.
Nṛga
Listener: Brāhmaṇas/Ṛṣis
Scene: Nṛga, once a king, chooses sin first; Yama decrees lizardhood. The scene shifts to a massive lizard form—eyes expressive, body heavy—signaling long penance.
FAQs
Even slight wrongdoing can bind one to long suffering; willingly facing demerit first is portrayed as a step toward eventual purification.
The account is situated within Dvārakā Māhātmya; Nṛga’s eventual release is tied to the sanctity of Dvārakā and the Lord’s presence there.
None stated; the verse narrates karmic sanction and its prolonged result.