Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 88
येनैवं कुरुषे कर्म गर्हितं चांत्यजैरपि । ततः स प्रहसन्नाह क्षत्रियोऽहं महीपतिः । विष्णुसेन इति ख्यातो हैहयान्वयसंभवः
yenaivaṃ kuruṣe karma garhitaṃ cāṃtyajairapi | tataḥ sa prahasannāha kṣatriyo'haṃ mahīpatiḥ | viṣṇusena iti khyāto haihayānvayasaṃbhavaḥ
Mendengar, “Atas sebab apa engkau melakukan perbuatan yang dicela bahkan oleh orang paling hina?”, dia tersenyum lalu menjawab: “Aku seorang Kṣatriya, seorang raja. Aku dikenal sebagai Viṣṇusena, lahir daripada keturunan Haihaya.”
Viṣṇusena (the king)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The humble worker smiles and reveals royal identity—subtle regal bearing beneath simplicity; the questioner’s posture shifts from disdain to attention.
FAQs
Even a socially powerful person must account for actions condemned by dharma; lineage and status do not absolve blameworthy deeds.
The wider passage belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya and leads into the glory of Nāgahrada (the serpent-lake) as a liberating tīrtha.
This verse itself introduces the speaker; the ritual prescription appears later as śrāddha to be performed at Nāgahrada.