Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22
सोऽहं दुरात्मा पापीयान्स्वैरचारी मदोत्कटः । दंडधारी दुराचारः प्रचंडो निर्घृणः खलः
so'haṃ durātmā pāpīyānsvairacārī madotkaṭaḥ | daṃḍadhārī durācāraḥ pracaṃḍo nirghṛṇaḥ khalaḥ
میں وہی بدباطن، نہایت گناہگار تھا—من مانی کرنے والا، نشے کے غرور میں بپھرا ہوا۔ لاٹھی بردار ظالم، بدکردار، سخت گیر، بے رحم اور خبیث تھا۔
Rākṣasa
Listener: Vāmadeva
Scene: A stark moral portrait: the rākṣasa describes himself as staff-wielding oppressor—visualize him with a heavy daṇḍa lowered in shame, surrounded by faint silhouettes of frightened beings, while the sage’s calm presence offers a path out.
FAQs
Adharma is marked by arrogance, cruelty, and abuse of power; naming one’s faults truthfully is the first step toward purification.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a moral self-assessment.
None; the focus is on ethical diagnosis rather than ritual instruction.