Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46
दैत्यो दुंदुभिनिर्ह्रादो दुष्टः प्रह्लादमातुलः । देवाः कथं सुजेयाः स्युरित्युपायमचिंतयत्
daityo duṃdubhinirhrādo duṣṭaḥ prahlādamātulaḥ | devāḥ kathaṃ sujeyāḥ syurityupāyamaciṃtayat
தீய தைத்யன் துந்துபிநிர்ஹ்ராதன், பிரஹ்லாதனின் தாய்மாமன், “தேவர்களை எவ்வாறு எளிதில் வெல்லலாம்?” என்று வழியைச் சிந்தித்தான்.
Skanda (narration to Agastya, inferred from Kāśīkhaṇḍa convention)
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical frame; not stated in the verse)
Scene: A formidable daitya, Duṃdubhinirhrāda, sits in a shadowed hall or forest-clearing, brows knit in calculation, imagining the defeat of the devas; distant silhouettes of sacrificial fires and celestial beings hint at what he targets.
FAQs
Adharma begins with strategizing against Dharma’s supports; vigilance is needed to protect sacred institutions.
The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework (Kāśī/Varanasi), though this specific line emphasizes cosmic strategy rather than naming a particular tīrtha.
None explicitly; the verse introduces a plot concerning how Devas might be weakened.