Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19
जीवेन्मृगयु धर्मेण तत्रापि करुणापरः । न विश्वस्तान्पक्षिमृगान्न सुप्तान्न व्यवायिनः
jīvenmṛgayu dharmeṇa tatrāpi karuṇāparaḥ | na viśvastānpakṣimṛgānna suptānna vyavāyinaḥ
Let the hunter live by his calling in accord with dharma, yet remain devoted to compassion: he should not kill trusting birds and beasts, nor those asleep, nor those engaged in mating.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (conduct for residents and forest-dwellers)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A hunter lowers his bow upon seeing deer and birds that are unafraid, asleep, or paired in mating; his face shows compassion and restraint while pilgrims pass nearby, suggesting dharma’s softening influence.
FAQs
Even worldly livelihoods must be restrained by compassion; dharma forbids exploiting vulnerability (trust, sleep, mating).
Kāśī’s broader sacred region is the setting; the verse supports a dharmic environment for pilgrims moving through the kṣetra.
No formal rite; it prescribes ethical restraints (yama-like rules) for conduct.