Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 16
अतोऽस्माभिरिहानीता निरयं यातु वा न वा । अनया साधितो बाल्ये पुण्यलेशोऽस्ति वा न वा
ato'smābhirihānītā nirayaṃ yātu vā na vā | anayā sādhito bālye puṇyaleśo'sti vā na vā
C’est pourquoi nous l’avons amenée ici, qu’elle aille en enfer ou non. Dites-nous : dans son enfance, a-t-elle accompli ne fût-ce qu’une infime parcelle de mérite (puṇya), ou non ?
Yamadūta
Listener: Śiva-dūtas (and implicitly the adjudicating authority)
Scene: A solemn tribunal-like moment: emissaries present an old woman; the narrator/authority figure questions whether she has any trace of childhood merit; scrolls or symbolic balance scales suggest karmic accounting; atmosphere tense yet compassionate.
FAQs
In Purāṇic ethics, even a minute merit can alter destiny; moral causality is subtle and decisive.
No site is mentioned; the verse frames a karmic inquiry within the Śiva–Yama narrative.
None directly; it alludes generally to merit (puṇya) gained through dharmic acts.