Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 34
भूमेरंगुलमेकं तु ये हरंति खला नराः । वंध्याटवीष्वतोयासु शुष्ककोटरवासिनः । कृष्णसर्पाः प्रजायंते दत्तदायापहारकाः
bhūmeraṃgulamekaṃ tu ye haraṃti khalā narāḥ | vaṃdhyāṭavīṣvatoyāsu śuṣkakoṭaravāsinaḥ | kṛṣṇasarpāḥ prajāyaṃte dattadāyāpahārakāḥ
Ces hommes pervers qui dérobent ne fût-ce qu’un doigt de terre renaissent en serpents noirs, demeurant dans des forêts stériles, des lieux sans eau et des cavités d’arbres desséchées, pour avoir saisi ce qui fut donné comme part légitime.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Scene: A shadowy figure stealthily shifts boundary stones; the scene dissolves into a karmic vision: the same being reborn as a black serpent in a parched wasteland, coiled inside a dry hollow tree amid thorny scrub.
FAQs
Stealing land—especially land that has been duly granted—creates severe pāpa and leads to degrading rebirths.
No single tīrtha is praised in this verse; it is a dharma-warning within Dharmāraṇya’s teaching context.
The verse is prohibitive rather than ritualistic: it forbids bhūmi-haraṇa (land theft), especially seizure of granted shares.