Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9
प्रतिश्रुत्य दुरात्मानो न प्रयच्छंति ये नराः । कपे सृगालयोनिं ते प्राप्नुवंत्यतिकुत्सिताम्
pratiśrutya durātmāno na prayacchaṃti ye narāḥ | kape sṛgālayoniṃ te prāpnuvaṃtyatikutsitām
Ô singe, les hommes à l’âme mauvaise qui, après avoir promis, ne donnent pas, atteignent la matrice du chacal, la plus méprisable.
Sṛgāla (jackal)
Tirtha: Setu/Setubandha (contextual frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Plavaṅgama/Kapi (monkey) addressed
Scene: A moral tableau: a man who promised a gift turns away empty-handed; a brāhmaṇa stands calm yet grave; behind, the shadowy form of a jackal symbolizes karmic descent; the setting hints at a coastal tīrtha with pilgrims and banners of vows.
FAQs
A promise binds morally; breaking a vowed gift is treated as a serious adharma with painful rebirth.
The Setu-khaṇḍa’s pilgrimage framework is the setting; the verse itself emphasizes dharma rather than naming a specific tirtha.
Do not retract pledged dāna; fulfil what has been promised.