Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 32
एवंविधसहस्रैश्च युता दोषैः कृषिः सदा । अष्टगवं स्याद्धि हलं त्रिंशद्भागं त्यजेत्कृषेः
evaṃvidhasahasraiśca yutā doṣaiḥ kṛṣiḥ sadā | aṣṭagavaṃ syāddhi halaṃ triṃśadbhāgaṃ tyajetkṛṣeḥ
Agriculture is ever entangled with thousands of faults of this kind. Truly, the plough is as though drawn by eight oxen; therefore one should relinquish a thirtieth part of the farm’s produce as a dharmic renunciation.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative mode)
Scene: A plough drawn as if by ‘eight oxen’ (symbolic weight of harm) moves through soil; beside it, the farmer offers a measured portion of grain in charity, restoring balance.
FAQs
Even necessary livelihoods can carry hidden harm; dharma is upheld by conscious restraint and obligatory sharing/renunciation.
No specific site is mentioned; the verse focuses on ethical conduct (dharma) rather than sthala-māhātmya.
A practical dharmic rule: set aside (renounce/donate) a fixed fraction—here stated as one-thirtieth—of agricultural gain.