Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
ततः स कष्टमापन्नो लोहजंघो द्विजोत्तमाः । न प्राप्नोति क्वचिद्भिक्षां न च किंचित्प्रतिग्रहम्
tataḥ sa kaṣṭamāpanno lohajaṃgho dvijottamāḥ | na prāpnoti kvacidbhikṣāṃ na ca kiṃcitpratigraham
Ainsi Lohajaṅgha tomba dans la détresse, ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés : nulle part il n’obtenait l’aumône, et il ne recevait aucun don.
Sūta
Listener: dvijottamāḥ (addressed audience of brāhmaṇas)
Scene: A destitute brāhmaṇa Lohajaṅgha stands in a village street with an empty begging bowl; doors closed, hands turned away; his posture slumps under shame and hunger.
FAQs
Even the righteous may face severe scarcity; dharma is tested in adversity, setting the stage for grace and transformation.
The verse remains part of the Mukhāra Tīrtha-associated narrative arc, though it focuses on the human crisis.
No prescription; it notes the absence of bhikṣā (alms) and pratigraha (received gifts) due to distress.