Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 15
वरं बुभुक्षया वासो मा चौरकरगा वयम् । अर्जुन उवाच । अद्भुतं वर्ण्यते विप्र के हि चौराः प्रकीर्तिताः
varaṃ bubhukṣayā vāso mā caurakaragā vayam | arjuna uvāca | adbhutaṃ varṇyate vipra ke hi caurāḥ prakīrtitāḥ
«Mieux vaut demeurer dans la faim que tomber aux mains des voleurs !» Arjuna dit : «Ô brāhmane, c’est prodigieux : qui sont donc ces “voleurs” dont tu parles ?»
Arjuna
Listener: Brāhmaṇa (contextually Nārada as the responding sage in the sequence)
Scene: A forest-ashram dialogue: Arjuna, alert and questioning, faces a serene sage (Nārada implied in the sequence), while shadowy figures symbolizing ‘thieves’ hover as allegories of inner vices; the mood is contemplative yet tense.
FAQs
A seeker should inquire deeply into the causes of spiritual loss; discernment begins by asking the right question.
The dialogue continues within the Mahī–Sāgara-Saṅgama narrative context.
None; it is a moral preference (endure hunger rather than be robbed) and a request for clarification.