Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 64
यथा नास्तिकदुर्वृत्तो नानाशास्त्रोपदेशकान् । सोढुं शक्ता न ते वीरं महति स्यंदने स्थितम्
yathā nāstikadurvṛtto nānāśāstropadeśakān | soḍhuṃ śaktā na te vīraṃ mahati syaṃdane sthitam
De même qu’un athée aux mœurs corrompues ne peut supporter les maîtres qui enseignent selon de multiples Écritures, de même ils ne purent soutenir ce héros, debout sur son char puissant.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages
Scene: A split-vision allegory: foreground shows Tāraka steady on a massive chariot, devas unable to withstand him; background vignette shows a defiant nāstika turning away from calm teachers holding palm-leaf manuscripts, symbolizing rejection of śāstric counsel.
FAQs
Adharma resists śāstra and discipline; the impious mind cannot tolerate true instruction, just as divine hosts struggled before Tāraka’s force.
None is specified; the verse uses a dharma-ethical simile within the war narrative.
None; it is a moral comparison (dṛṣṭānta) rather than a ritual directive.