Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71
प्रोचुर्भूरिधनं चैतज्जीर्यत्यस्मिन्न जीवति । असौ धनी प्रयत्नेन वध्यः सपरिचारकः
procurbhūridhanaṃ caitajjīryatyasminna jīvati | asau dhanī prayatnena vadhyaḥ saparicārakaḥ
Ils dirent : «Voici une richesse abondante ; si cet homme demeure en vie, elle sera perdue pour nous. Ce riche doit être mis à mort—avec son serviteur—sans faute.»
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: Thieves huddle in a grim council, counting loot; one points toward the captive and attendant, signaling execution to secure the stolen wealth.
FAQs
Greed escalates into lethal adharma; when wealth becomes the goal, compassion and restraint collapse.
Kāśī is praised implicitly as a dharmic refuge; the story’s darkness intensifies after the protagonist leaves it.
None; the verse records an adharma-driven decision, serving as a warning.