Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
प्रतिज्ञायाप्रयच्छन्यो ह्यल्पायुर्जायते नरः । विप्रवृत्त्यपहारी स्यादजीर्णी सर्वदाऽधमः
pratijñāyāprayacchanyo hyalpāyurjāyate naraḥ | vipravṛttyapahārī syādajīrṇī sarvadā'dhamaḥ
L’homme qui promet puis ne donne pas ce qu’il a voué renaît avec une vie brève. Celui qui vole le moyen de subsistance d’un brāhmane souffre sans cesse d’indigestion et est tenu pour vil.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A householder publicly makes a pledge before elders and a brāhmaṇa, then withholds the promised gift; beside him, a brāhmaṇa’s livelihood is taken away—shown as a stolen bundle of grain/coins—while the moral consequence is hinted through a withered lifespan motif and a figure clutching his stomach in indigestion.
FAQs
Integrity in speech and generosity in fulfilled pledges are dharma; betrayal of vows and exploitation of the pious bring swift karmic decline.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on ethical causality (karmavipāka).
The verse implies the dharma of honoring one’s promised dāna (gift/charity), though no detailed ritual is specified.