Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 66
अहो धन्योऽसि राजेन्द्र यत्ते धर्मपरा मतिः । धर्मः सुदुर्लभः पुंसां विशेषेण महीक्षिताम्
aho dhanyo'si rājendra yatte dharmaparā matiḥ | dharmaḥ sudurlabhaḥ puṃsāṃ viśeṣeṇa mahīkṣitām
يا خيرَ الملوك، ما أبركَك! إذ إنّ فكرك مُتعبِّدٌ للدَّرما. فالدَّرما عسيرةُ المنال على الناس، ولا سيّما على من يحمل عبءَ حكمِ الأرض.
Unspecified (a sage/counsellor addressing the king, within Īśvara’s narration context)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Audience of the māhātmya (pilgrims/kingly inquirer)
Scene: A sage addresses the king with uplifted hand in blessing and gentle admonition; attendants stand back; the king’s face shows humility as the words ‘dharma is rare’ land with weight.
FAQs
A ruler’s true glory is steadfast devotion to dharma, which is rare and difficult amid power and responsibilities.
The wider narrative belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), setting the moral teaching within a sacred-place māhātmya.
No explicit rite is stated here; it emphasizes inner commitment to dharma as the foundation of righteous living.