Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
यो जंतूनात्मपुष्ट्यर्थं हिनस्ति ज्ञानदुर्बलः । दुराचारस्य तस्येह नामुत्रापि सुखं क्वचित्
yo jaṃtūnātmapuṣṭyarthaṃ hinasti jñānadurbalaḥ | durācārasya tasyeha nāmutrāpi sukhaṃ kvacit
من كان ضعيفَ البصيرة فأذى الكائنات الحيّة لمجرد تقوية جسده—فذلك سيّئ السلوك لا ينال سعادةً لا هنا ولا في العالم الآخر، في أي وقت.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A moral allegory: a man harms an animal for food; the scene splits into two outcomes—on one side, present-life unrest and social disgrace; on the other, a bleak post-mortem path—while Kāśī’s luminous temple skyline stands as the alternative path of compassion.
FAQs
Self-centered violence destroys well-being in both worlds; true dharma is rooted in compassion and discernment.
The teaching is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī framework, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.
No ritual is prescribed; it is an ethical prohibition against harming beings for bodily gratification.