Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40
राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणां यत्पापं जायते नृणाम् । तेन पापेन लिप्यामि यद्यहं नागमे पुनः
rājapaiśunyakartṝṇāṃ yatpāpaṃ jāyate nṛṇām | tena pāpena lipyāmi yadyahaṃ nāgame punaḥ
Si no vuelvo a venir aquí, que me manche el pecado que nace en los hombres que practican la calumnia y el chisme en asuntos de reyes; por ese mismo pecado, que yo quede manchado.
Unspecified (contextual vow/utterance within Arbuda Khaṇḍa narration; likely a pilgrim or narrator-voice within the māhātmya)
Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim makes his vow near a tīrtha shrine while, in the background, courtiers whisper and point toward a king’s pavilion—symbolizing rāja-paiśunya. The pilgrim turns away, choosing silence and truth.
FAQs
Malicious speech—especially political slander—is condemned; devotion to the tīrtha is framed as incompatible with such corruption.
Arbuda-kṣetra is upheld as a place inspiring vows of purity and faithful return.
No specific ritual act is stated; it functions as a moral-ritual vow (saṅkalpa) tied to pilgrimage.