Skandapurana 5.155

Sūta said: / Thus consoled by him, that wife went to a solitary place. / Thereafter, an inclination arose [in her] to give the daughter in marriage.

Then, having quickly washed the feet of Maṇibhadra, / he gave water with unbroken grains of rice into [his] hand for the gifting of the maiden.

When the water was placed in his hand, he said to that kṣatriya: / 'Perform my marriage with the maiden quickly, this very day.

Because I desire to dwell [with her], for that reason I have come to your house.' / The kṣatriya said: / 'Neither is the lunar mansion suitable here, nor is the presiding deity of fortune favorable;

nor is the day auspicious for marriage while Madhusūdana is asleep. / When this period has arrived, the maiden who is married

surely attains widowhood within a year: / thus have I heard from the foremost astrologers as they declare.

Therefore, when an auspicious lunar mansion presided over by the deity of fortune has arrived, / marry my maiden [to you] when Madhusūdana has awakened, / so that she may bring welfare to you and be blessed with sons and great-grandsons.'

Maṇibhadra said: / 'The lunar mansion has Agni as its deity, and Madhusūdana is asleep;

now this end of the year has arrived when the marriage is to be performed. / The fire of lust has arisen in my body and torments me now.

Therefore, show me favor by having the maiden married [to me]; / I shall give you wealth by which you will become happy.'

Sūta said: / Therefore, out of greed for wealth, O best of the twice-born, / that kṣatriya caused the marriage to be performed that very moment, O twice-born!

He gave away the daughter, who was deeply afflicted by sorrow, standing with eyes full of tears; / in the presence of the fire and the brahmins, she was married by him then.

Having taken her to his own home afterward, he employed her in the duties of desire; / completely unrestrained, [he forced] her though she was unwilling and virtuous.

Having satisfied his lust and repeatedly reproaching [her], / and distressing the passionate woman with many abusive words,

she was then reduced to calmness by him when dawn arrived. / Then the entire crowd of servants was driven out of the house.

Having adopted supreme jealousy as his rule, O best of the twice-born, / he appointed a single eunuch as door-keeper.

[The door-keeper] was told: 'Entrance into my house must not be given by you / to a servant, a beggar, an old man, or an ascetic.'

Having made such an arrangement, he then conducted with people / all business transactions involving hundreds of thousands and thousands of riches.

Nothing was given by that evil-minded man even to his father-in-law, / nor anything at all to his wife except white garments.

When two watches of the day had passed, he came home; / then he gives her a measured portion of food for eating.

And while she eats, he himself, accompanied by a single brahmin, / eats and then goes outside for business.

He returns to the mansion again when twilight has arrived; / she too, the wife of that evil-minded man, stays in the mansion,

having reached extreme detachment, filled with misery and sorrow, / like a fish fallen from the water onto dry land,

like a female cakravāka separated when the end of the day arrives, / like a female swan separated from her swan, like a doe separated from a deer.

He also gave food daily to a single brahmin, O twice-born, / having previously addressed that brahmin gently with these words:

'You must always eat with your face downcast in my house, O brahmin; / if you look at my wife, you will suffer humiliation.'

In this way, those who looked up with face raised were humiliated by him; / and others, terrified with fear, would not go to his house.

Then, after some time, an excellent brahmin named Puṣpa, / while undertaking a pilgrimage to sacred fords, reached that city.

He was in the prime of youth and endowed with a most handsome appearance; / emaciated by hunger and exceedingly exhausted when midday arrived,

he wandered all around among the houses of men. / Then someone pointed out Maṇibhadra to him as a giver of food.

Then, O brahmins, he went and requested food from him. / And he too, O best of brahmins, then spoke to that brahmin:

"You must eat with your face turned downward; my beloved must not be looked upon by you. / Otherwise, O brahmin, you will suffer humiliation, there is no doubt.

Knowing this, O fortunate one, do that which is safe."

Puṣpa said: / "Emaciated with hunger, I have no concern with looking at another man’s wife, / engaged [as I am] in the study of the Veda and devoted to pilgrimage to sacred fords."

Maṇibhadra said: / "Then come with me right now to my house. / Especially for you, I shall give a meal accompanied by a fee."

Having thus made an agreement, O best of brahmins, the two went along; / they went along the marketplace path to where the eunuch was stationed.

Keeping the brahmin beside him, he entered the inside of the house; / then he had a measured quantity of grain cooked by his wife.

Then, having performed the worship of the gods, when the Vaiśvadeva [offering] had ended, / he called Puṣpa, washed his feet, seated him,

performed the rites of hospitality for him, and gave him well-prepared food. / Afterwards, O brahmins, as he sat down to eat, / Puṣpa also gazed upon her lotus-like feet.

As he looked out of curiosity, overcome by youthfulness, / out of curiosity he then looked at her face.

Then, in a fury, Maṇibhadra summoned / that eunuch and said: "Humiliate this paramour!"

Then by him, O best of brahmins, that Puṣpa was struck on the head.

Fallen down onto the earth, drenched with blood, / dragging him by both feet, the servant took to the road.

As soon as he was brought to the crossroads where people walked, / a great lamentation arose then in that excellent city

among all the citizens upon seeing him in that condition. / Then he was sprinkled with cold water by others filled with compassion,

and, by fanning him, he was brought back to consciousness. / Having regained consciousness with difficulty through that water, he then said to them:

"Theft was not committed by me, nor was another man's wife approached. / Behold, O people, how I have been tormented by Maṇibhadra!

A brahmin devoted to pilgrimage to sacred fords, dedicated to celibacy, / I was invited for food and then brought to this state!

Is there no king here, seeing that this injustice [is done] / particularly to a faultless brahmin, O citizens?"

The people said: / "Many brahmins have been humiliated before by that sinful mortal / who enjoys the king's favor, having succumbed to jealousy.

Because of the king's favor, nobody says anything to his face. / Therefore, get up, let us go; we will give you food."

Thus ends the one hundred and fifty-sixth chapter, named "Description of the Humiliation of the Brahmin Puṣpa by Maṇibhadra," in the Māhātmya of Puṣpāditya, in the Māhātmya of Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] of the auspicious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].