Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 67
याचकाश्चावदान्याश्च नित्यं स्वज्ञानघातकाः । आत्मसंभाविताः स्तब्धाः परस्परविनिंदकाः
yācakāścāvadānyāśca nityaṃ svajñānaghātakāḥ | ātmasaṃbhāvitāḥ stabdhāḥ parasparaviniṃdakāḥ
“(Tornaram-se) mendigos e até mesmo os afamados como doadores—sempre destruindo o próprio discernimento; presunçosos, endurecidos pelo orgulho e censurando-se mutuamente.”
Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)
Tirtha: Kedāra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Cursed cohort (sages and associated figures)
Scene: Once-venerable figures appear as quarrelsome mendicants and ostentatious donors: one hand extended in begging, another displaying gifts, while their faces show arrogance and mutual contempt.
FAQs
Pride and self-importance erode true knowledge, leading to mutual blame and spiritual decline.
The broader context is Kedāra/Kedārakhaṇḍa, connected with Kedarnath-region Śaiva sacred geography, though this verse itself is ethical in focus.
No explicit ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse; it describes a moral/spiritual consequence.