Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
प्रमादात्सत्त्वमापन्नो व्यभिचारं कथं कृथाः । गुरुवोऽपि न सन्मार्गे प्रवर्त्तंते जनौघवत्
pramādātsattvamāpanno vyabhicāraṃ kathaṃ kṛthāḥ | guruvo'pi na sanmārge pravarttaṃte janaughavat
Aunque has alcanzado una disposición noble, ¿cómo puedes incurrir en falta por descuido? Aun los maestros, arrastrados como por un torrente de gente, pueden no avanzar por el sendero verdadero; por eso, mantente vigilante.
Śiva (deduced from vocative context within the adhyāya sequence; instruction-giving voice addressing a devotee/interlocutor)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A teacher and a noble-minded pilgrim stand at a crossroads near a bustling tīrtha; a flood-like crowd surges toward a tempting but wrong turn, while the ‘true path’ is quieter; the speaker gestures in warning, urging vigilance.
FAQs
Heedlessness (pramāda) can overturn even a good nature; one must consciously choose the righteous path (sanmārga).
This verse functions as dharma-instruction within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is ethical vigilance and adherence to sanmārga.