Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26
मशकैर्मत्कुणैः काकैर्ये भक्ष्यंते विहंगमैः । व्रतभंगरता ह्येते व्रतिना चैव हिंसकाः
maśakairmatkuṇaiḥ kākairye bhakṣyaṃte vihaṃgamaiḥ | vratabhaṃgaratā hyete vratinā caiva hiṃsakāḥ
Diejenigen, die von Mücken, Wanzen, Krähen und anderen Vögeln verzehrt werden, sind jene, die am Brechen heiliger Gelübde Gefallen finden und die Gelübdetreuen verletzen.
Unspecified (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative voice)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A grim scene where sinners are swarmed by mosquitoes and bedbugs while crows and birds peck—an image of relentless, humiliating suffering for those who broke vows and harmed the disciplined.
FAQs
Vows are sacred commitments; breaking them—and obstructing the disciplined—destroys merit and invites suffering.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, whose Māhātmya encourages vrata, restraint, and support of religious practitioners.
The verse upholds vrata as a discipline (not to be broken) and implies reverence and non-violence toward vratins.