Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49
क्षुधितं क्षुधितः सर्पं घटस्थं प्रोच्य पूर्ववत् । संस्पृशेत्तालिकाः सप्त न दशेच्छुध्यतीति सः
kṣudhitaṃ kṣudhitaḥ sarpaṃ ghaṭasthaṃ procya pūrvavat | saṃspṛśettālikāḥ sapta na daśecchudhyatīti saḥ
Когда змея голодна, участник, будучи также голоден, должен обратиться к змее, содержащейся в сосуде, как было сказано прежде. Коснувшись её семь раз, она не укусит — так он очищается (оправдывается).
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Scene: A dramatic ordeal: a clay/metal pot containing a coiled snake; the hungry participant reaches out with steady hand, touching the snake seven times while reciting; attendants watch anxiously; the snake remains non-aggressive.
FAQs
Truth and dharmic order are portrayed as forces that restrain even danger; innocence is symbolically protected.
None; the verse describes an ordeal involving a snake kept in a pot.
A pot-contained hungry snake is ritually addressed; the participant touches it seven times—if it does not bite, the participant is declared purified.