Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 89
नापरीक्ष्य नयेद्दण्डं न च मंत्रं प्रकाशयेत् । विसृजेन्न च लुब्धेभ्यो विश्वसेन्नापकारिषु
nāparīkṣya nayeddaṇḍaṃ na ca maṃtraṃ prakāśayet | visṛjenna ca lubdhebhyo viśvasennāpakāriṣu
Man soll keine Strafe verhängen, ohne zuvor gründlich zu prüfen, und keinen vertraulichen Rat offenbaren. Man soll Angelegenheiten nicht den Gierigen anvertrauen und denen nicht trauen, die Schaden getan haben.
Unspecified (didactic instruction within the narrative of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A king sits in judgment with a balance scale and palm-leaf records; a sealed manuscript symbolizes secret counsel; a greedy minister is shown reaching for coins while being turned away; a scar-marked offender stands at a distance, untrusted.
FAQs
Dharma in leadership requires discernment, restraint, and careful trust—justice without inquiry and secrecy without discipline both lead to decline.
The wider context is the Prabhāsa region, within the Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya, where dharmic conduct supports the sanctity and stability of sacred land and rule.
No ritual is prescribed here; it gives nīti (ethical governance) instructions about punishment, secrecy, and trust.