Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14
अराजके नृपश्रेष्ठ मात्स्यो न्यायः प्रवर्तते । राष्ट्रे चैव पुरे चैव ग्रामे चैव विशेषतः
arājake nṛpaśreṣṭha mātsyo nyāyaḥ pravartate | rāṣṭre caiva pure caiva grāme caiva viśeṣataḥ
«Ô meilleur des rois, lorsqu’il n’y a pas de souverain, la “loi des poissons” s’installe : dans tout le royaume, dans les cités, et surtout dans les villages.»
Counsellors/subjects (contextual)
Scene: A didactic tableau: counselors describe chaos in city and village if no king rules—scenes of disorder contrasted with the calm hermitage where the king sits.
FAQs
Righteous governance is itself a form of dharma; without it, exploitation replaces justice.
None directly; the verse provides dharma-śāstra style teaching within the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.
No ritual; it teaches political-dharma (rāja-dharma) as a safeguard for society.