Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 58
एवं तदा दमनकोत्सव ईश्वरस्य आंदोलनेन नृपवेश्मनि मेऽवतारः । शम्भोर्गणत्वमभवच्च तथाग्निवेश्यशापेन गृध्र इह भद्र तवेदमुक्तम्
evaṃ tadā damanakotsava īśvarasya āṃdolanena nṛpaveśmani me'vatāraḥ | śambhorgaṇatvamabhavacca tathāgniveśyaśāpena gṛdhra iha bhadra tavedamuktam
இவ்வாறு அக்காலத்தில்—ஈசுவரனின் தமனகோৎসவமும் ஊஞ்சல் விழாவும் நடைபெறுகையில்—அரண்மனையில் எனது அவதாரம் நிகழ்ந்தது. சம்புவின் கணமாகும் நிலையும் எனக்குக் கிடைத்தது; மேலும், ஓ நல்வனே, அக்னிவேஷ்யரின் சாபத்தால் இங்கு நான் கழுகானேன். இதுவே உனக்குச் சொல்லப்பட்டது.
Gṛdhra (the vulture), speaking to Indradyumna (contextual)
Tirtha: Īśvara-āndolana (swing festival context)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Indradyumna (addressed as 'bhadra')
Scene: A grand Śaiva festival in a royal palace: Īśvara’s swing (āndolana) is being ceremonially moved; amid lamps, flowers, and music, the narrator’s ‘descent’ occurs and he gains gaṇa-status, yet bears Agniveśya’s curse as a vulture.
FAQs
Even exalted beings can fall through a curse, yet divine association (Śiva’s gaṇas) and truthful narration become steps toward restoration and clarity of karma.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on Śiva’s festival context and the karmic backstory within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.
A festival observance is referenced—Īśvara’s Damanaka-utsava and the āṃdolana (ceremonial swing)—but no direct injunction for dāna, snāna, or japa appears in this verse.