Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 103
चिंतयंती ममेदं चेद्रूपं द्रक्ष्यंति कानने । ते ब्राह्मणीनामनृतं दोषं वक्ष्यंति पावकात्
ciṃtayaṃtī mamedaṃ cedrūpaṃ drakṣyaṃti kānane | te brāhmaṇīnāmanṛtaṃ doṣaṃ vakṣyaṃti pāvakāt
সে চিন্তা করিল— “যদি অরণ্যে তারা আমার এই রূপ দেখে, তবে ব্রাহ্মণীদের নিমিত্তে পাৱক (অগ্নি)-এর উপর অসত্যের দোষ আরোপ করিবে।”
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Scene: Svāhā, anxious, pauses among trees, imagining the brāhmaṇa-wives seeing her true form; Agni’s flame in the distance becomes a ‘witness’ to truth and falsehood.
FAQs
Reputation and moral accountability matter in dharma; actions that appear improper can generate doṣa (blame) and social-spiritual consequences.
No tīrtha is identified; the verse is set in a forest (kānana) within the narrative.
None explicitly; the verse focuses on ethical concern (doṣa) rather than rite.