Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 128
तयाभिभूतो म्रियते यथान्यैर्व्याधिभिर्न्नरः । राज्ञोऽभिमानमात्रं हि ममैव विद्यते गृहे
tayābhibhūto mriyate yathānyairvyādhibhirnnaraḥ | rājño'bhimānamātraṃ hi mamaiva vidyate gṛhe
Overpowered by it (hunger), a man dies—just as he dies from other diseases. In my house there is only the mere pride of royalty, nothing more.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa frame)
Scene: A king in a near-empty granary or treasury room: jewels and insignia remain, but food stores are absent; the king’s face shows shame and fear; a hungry figure at the doorway mirrors the king’s vulnerability.
FAQs
Status cannot protect one from fundamental suffering; pride without substance is hollow—dharma rests on virtue, not titles.
No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.
None explicitly; the implied dharma is humility and support of those afflicted by hunger.