Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41
तस्माद्यदि बलान्मां त्वं योजयिष्यसि तं प्रति । त्वां त्यक्त्वाऽन्यत्र यास्यामि यतः प्रोक्तं महर्षिभिः
tasmādyadi balānmāṃ tvaṃ yojayiṣyasi taṃ prati | tvāṃ tyaktvā'nyatra yāsyāmi yataḥ proktaṃ maharṣibhiḥ
«C’est pourquoi, si tu me contraints avec force à le servir, je te quitterai et j’irai ailleurs—car telle est la parole proclamée par les grands ṛṣis.»
Yājñavalkya
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta frame, contextually likely)
Scene: A tense guru–disciple confrontation: the disciple stands firm, palms slightly raised in refusal, while elders or sages are evoked as moral authority; the setting suggests an āśrama or a tīrtha rest-house with pilgrims in the background.
FAQs
One should not be coerced into actions that violate established dharma; the seers’ injunctions guide righteous refusal.
No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse; it reinforces dharmic standards within a tīrtha-oriented chapter.
No direct prescription; it is an ethical boundary regarding compelled participation in rites or royal demands.