Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46
विश्वामित्र उवाच । एष पार्थिवशार्दूलस्त्रिशंकुरिति विश्रुतः । वसिष्ठस्य सुतैर्नीतश्चंडालत्वं प्रकोपतः
viśvāmitra uvāca | eṣa pārthivaśārdūlastriśaṃkuriti viśrutaḥ | vasiṣṭhasya sutairnītaścaṃḍālatvaṃ prakopataḥ
Viśvāmitra berkata: “Inilah harimau di antara raja-raja, masyhur bernama Triśaṅku. Oleh kemurkaan putera-putera Vasiṣṭha, dia didorong ke keadaan Caṇḍāla.”
Viśvāmitra
Listener: (unnamed questioner addressed as san-muni in prior verse)
Scene: Viśvāmitra, intense and ascetic, points to Triśaṅku—once regal, now marked as caṇḍāla—while recounting the wrath of Vasiṣṭha’s sons; the contrast between ‘pārthiva-śārdūla’ and degraded form is central.
FAQs
Even royal status cannot shield one from the consequences of anger and curse; purification and refuge in sacred means become necessary.
This verse sets the narrative background; the specific tīrtha is revealed later in the adhyāya as Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra and associated waters.
None in this verse; it introduces the fallen condition that later motivates tīrtha-seeking and purificatory rites.