Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60
बृहद्बल उवाच । कथं मे स्यान्मुनिश्रेष्ठ कुष्ठव्याधिपरिक्षयः । तपसा नियमेनापि व्रतेनापि कृतेन वै
bṛhadbala uvāca | kathaṃ me syānmuniśreṣṭha kuṣṭhavyādhiparikṣayaḥ | tapasā niyamenāpi vratenāpi kṛtena vai
Bṛhadbala disse: “Ó melhor dos sábios, como poderá minha lepra e minha enfermidade ser totalmente destruída—pela austeridade, pelas disciplinas, ou por um voto devidamente cumprido?”
Bṛhadbala
Type: kshetra
Listener: Viśvāmitra
Scene: A leprosy-afflicted king, humbled, addresses a radiant sage; his posture shifts from royal pride to earnest inquiry about tapas, niyama, and vrata.
FAQs
Suffering is approached through dharma: one seeks purification and healing through tapas, disciplined living, and properly observed vows.
The verse sets up the forthcoming glorification of a sacred kṣetra (holy field) in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya where Sūrya worship grants healing.
No specific ritual is prescribed yet; the king asks whether tapas, niyama, or a vrata can bring about the cure.