Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 68
वर्षाणि च शतान्यष्टौ प्राप्नोति यमयातनाम् । तस्मादल्पतरो दोषः पिबतो मे स्तनं तव
varṣāṇi ca śatānyaṣṭau prāpnoti yamayātanām | tasmādalpataro doṣaḥ pibato me stanaṃ tava
Pendant huit cents ans, il subit les châtiments de Yama. C’est pourquoi la faute est moindre si tu bois le lait de mon sein.
Unspecified female speaker (a devī/strī figure persuading a brāhmaṇa to nurse a child)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu (contextual)
Type: river
Listener: Bhārata (addressed later as ‘O Bhārata’)
Scene: A distressed mother-figure speaks urgently to a brāhmaṇa, warning of Yama’s punishments and urging an act framed as the lesser fault; the setting hints at a riverine hermitage near Revā.
FAQs
When dharma is complex, one should choose the course that minimizes harm and supports life, recognizing the gravity of karmic consequence.
Not explicitly; the verse belongs to Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā-region teaching narrative.
None as a formal rite; the verse argues ethically for an action framed as the ‘lesser fault’ in context.