Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70
नीत्वा ते तमरण्यानीं तस्कराः सपरिच्छदम् । उल्लुंठ्य धनमादाय समालोच्य परस्परम्
nītvā te tamaraṇyānīṃ taskarāḥ saparicchadam | ulluṃṭhya dhanamādāya samālocya parasparam
Les voleurs l’emmenèrent, avec tous ses effets, dans la forêt; après l’avoir dépouillé et saisi ses richesses, ils se concertèrent entre eux.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: Bandits drag the traveler and his attendant into dense forest; they overturn bags and garments, scattering items as they seize coins and ornaments.
FAQs
When dharma is compromised, wealth becomes a cause of fear and violence; the wilderness mirrors inner disorder.
Kāśī is indirectly glorified: the narrative contrasts the insecurity outside Kāśī with the sanctity associated with dwelling in it.
None; it narrates plunder and conspiracy as part of a cautionary tale.