Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52
दर्शयिष्ये मुखं तेषां त्वया हीना अहं कथम् । बांधवानां गुरूणां च अन्येषां सुदृदा मपि
darśayiṣye mukhaṃ teṣāṃ tvayā hīnā ahaṃ katham | bāṃdhavānāṃ gurūṇāṃ ca anyeṣāṃ sudṛdā mapi
How could I show my face—bereft of you—to our kinsmen, to our teachers, and even to others who are close and steadfast?
The Brahmin’s wife
Type: kshetra
Listener: husband
Scene: The wife imagines returning alone, unable to face relatives and revered teachers; her gaze drops, hands clasped, while the sacred surroundings remain still and impartial.
FAQs
Dharma is relational: one’s vows and actions must withstand scrutiny before elders, kin, and society, especially when taken in a sacred place.
The surrounding narrative glorifies a mahākṣetra in Nāgarakhaṇḍa; the verse underscores how sacred places intensify moral responsibility.
No ritual action is stated; the verse emphasizes marital fidelity and the ethics of public-facing dharma.
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