Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37
छद्मना वा बलाद्वापि ब्रह्महत्यासमं मतम् । अधीत्य यश्च शास्त्राणि परित्यजति मूढधीः
chadmanā vā balādvāpi brahmahatyāsamaṃ matam | adhītya yaśca śāstrāṇi parityajati mūḍhadhīḥ
Whether by deceit or even by force, such conduct is held to be equal to brahmahatyā. And he who, after studying the śāstras, abandons them through deluded understanding is likewise blameworthy.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta)
Scene: Two vignettes: (1) a wrongdoer using disguise or coercion against a brāhmaṇa; (2) a scholar tossing aside palm-leaf manuscripts, turning away from a guru—symbolizing śāstra-tyāga—while a dark cloud of moha surrounds him.
FAQs
Dharma is violated not only by overt killing but also by deceitful or coercive wrongdoing; abandoning scripture after learning it is a serious spiritual downfall.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.
No explicit rite is given; the instruction is fidelity to śāstra and avoidance of deceit/coercion.