Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42
अहो न युक्तं पालानां यदि तेऽप्यविमृश्य च । एवमर्थान्करिष्यंति कं यांति शरणं प्रजाः
aho na yuktaṃ pālānāṃ yadi te'pyavimṛśya ca | evamarthānkariṣyaṃti kaṃ yāṃti śaraṇaṃ prajāḥ
«Hélas ! Il ne sied pas aux protecteurs (aux gouvernants) d’agir, même eux, sans réflexion en de telles affaires. S’ils tranchent ainsi, vers qui le peuple ira-t-il chercher refuge ?»
Guha (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
Scene: चिन्तित प्रजा/यात्री; एक ओर राजपुरुष/पालक असमंजस में; दूसरी ओर धर्म-चिन्तक साधु; पृष्ठभूमि में तीर्थ-तट।
FAQs
Leaders and guardians must act with thoughtful discernment; impulsive judgment destroys public trust and refuge.
The verse is part of the Stambhatīrtha/Tīrtharāja episode; here the emphasis is on rajadharma rather than site-description.
None; it is a governance ethic: deliberation (vimarśa) before decisions affecting dharma.