Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 25
शस्त्रैः स्वैर्जध्नुरात्मानं स्वानि देहानि चिच्छिदुः । केचित्करतले गृह्य शिरांसि स्वानि चोत्सुकाः
śastraiḥ svairjadhnurātmānaṃ svāni dehāni cicchiduḥ | kecitkaratale gṛhya śirāṃsi svāni cotsukāḥ
Dengan senjata mereka sendiri, mereka memukul diri dan memotong tubuh mereka sendiri. Sesetengahnya, dengan penuh semangat, memegang kepala mereka yang terputus di tapak tangan.
Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa, per Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Scene: Figures in a possessed frenzy strike their own bodies with their own weapons; some lift their severed heads in their palms, eyes wide with terrible eagerness—an image of self-annihilating rage.
FAQs
A rite polluted by disrespect and arrogance can precipitate ruin; dharma protects, adharma unravels.
No tirtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Dakṣa-yajña narrative within Kedārakhaṇḍa.
None; it is a narrative description of calamity, not a ritual instruction.