Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
प्रतिज्ञायाप्रयच्छन्यो ह्यल्पायुर्जायते नरः । विप्रवृत्त्यपहारी स्यादजीर्णी सर्वदाऽधमः
pratijñāyāprayacchanyo hyalpāyurjāyate naraḥ | vipravṛttyapahārī syādajīrṇī sarvadā'dhamaḥ
Wer etwas gelobt und dann das Versprochene nicht gibt, wird kurzlebig geboren. Wer einem Brāhmaṇa den Lebensunterhalt raubt, leidet stets an Verdauungsstörung und gilt als niederträchtig.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A householder publicly makes a pledge before elders and a brāhmaṇa, then withholds the promised gift; beside him, a brāhmaṇa’s livelihood is taken away—shown as a stolen bundle of grain/coins—while the moral consequence is hinted through a withered lifespan motif and a figure clutching his stomach in indigestion.
FAQs
Integrity in speech and generosity in fulfilled pledges are dharma; betrayal of vows and exploitation of the pious bring swift karmic decline.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on ethical causality (karmavipāka).
The verse implies the dharma of honoring one’s promised dāna (gift/charity), though no detailed ritual is specified.