Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6
प्रसह्यकन्याहरणाद्राक्षसो निंदितः सताम् । छलेन कन्याहरणात्पैशाचो गर्हितोऽष्टमः
prasahyakanyāharaṇādrākṣaso niṃditaḥ satām | chalena kanyāharaṇātpaiśāco garhito'ṣṭamaḥ
বলপূর্বক কন্যাহরণ থেকে যে রাক্ষস-বিবাহ, তা সজ্জনদের নিন্দিত। ছল-কপট করে কন্যাহরণ থেকে যে পৈশাচ—অষ্টম—তাও নিন্দনীয়।
Skanda (continuing from 38.1)
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)
Scene: A moral warning scene: a maiden being seized by force (Rākṣasa) contrasted with a deceitful abduction (Paiśāca) in shadowed setting; virtuous elders condemn; dharma stands as protective presence.
FAQs
Dharma rejects unions founded on violence or deception; righteousness safeguards dignity, consent, and social order.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is ethical classification within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse.
No ritual is prescribed; it explicitly condemns forced and deceitful forms of marriage.