Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90
समर्घं धान्यमुद्धत्य महर्घं यः प्रयच्छति । स हि वार्धुषिको नाम तस्यान्नं नैव भक्षयेत्
samarghaṃ dhānyamuddhatya maharghaṃ yaḥ prayacchati | sa hi vārdhuṣiko nāma tasyānnaṃ naiva bhakṣayet
من يكنز الحبوب بسعر معتدل ثم يبيعها بسعر فاحش يُسمّى vārdhuṣika؛ فلا ينبغي أن يُؤكل طعامه.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A granary scene: a merchant hoards sacks of grain, then weighs out at inflated price; a sage/pilgrim turns away refusing the offered meal; Kāśī market street with temple spires behind.
FAQs
Food carries moral consequence; avoiding the food of exploiters protects one’s purity and dharma.
Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting, but the verse focuses on ethical economy and food-acceptance rules.
A rule of acceptance: do not partake of food from a vārdhuṣika (unethical profiteer/hoarder).