Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
ततः स कष्टमापन्नो लोहजंघो द्विजोत्तमाः । न प्राप्नोति क्वचिद्भिक्षां न च किंचित्प्रतिग्रहम्
tataḥ sa kaṣṭamāpanno lohajaṃgho dvijottamāḥ | na prāpnoti kvacidbhikṣāṃ na ca kiṃcitpratigraham
فلذلك وقعَ لوهَجَنْغَه في شِدّةٍ، يا خيرَ ذوي الولادتين؛ فلم يظفرْ بصدقةٍ في موضعٍ، ولم ينلْ هبةً قطّ.
Sūta
Listener: dvijottamāḥ (addressed audience of brāhmaṇas)
Scene: A destitute brāhmaṇa Lohajaṅgha stands in a village street with an empty begging bowl; doors closed, hands turned away; his posture slumps under shame and hunger.
FAQs
Even the righteous may face severe scarcity; dharma is tested in adversity, setting the stage for grace and transformation.
The verse remains part of the Mukhāra Tīrtha-associated narrative arc, though it focuses on the human crisis.
No prescription; it notes the absence of bhikṣā (alms) and pratigraha (received gifts) due to distress.