Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
परप्राणैस्तु ये प्राणान्स्वान्पुष्णं ति हि दुर्धियः । आकल्पं नरकान्भुक्त्वा ते भुज्यंतेत्र तैः पुनः
paraprāṇaistu ye prāṇānsvānpuṣṇaṃ ti hi durdhiyaḥ | ākalpaṃ narakānbhuktvā te bhujyaṃtetra taiḥ punaḥ
Ceux dont l’intelligence est perverse, qui nourrissent leur vie en ôtant celle d’autrui, après avoir subi les enfers durant un éon, sont à leur tour dévorés ici par ces mêmes êtres.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A cosmic justice vision: violent humans feeding on others’ lives are shown first in naraka, then reborn into a world where they are devoured—illustrating the reversal of predator and prey.
FAQs
Karma is reciprocal: sustaining oneself through others’ death leads to long suffering and eventual reversal—being consumed in return.
The Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting frames the teaching, implying Kāśī’s dharma-centered ethos; no single tirtha is named in the verse.
An implied discipline: abstain from harming beings for food; no formal rite is described.