Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
ततस्तैर्मंत्रितं सर्वैरेष नूनं मलिम्लुचः । संप्राप्तः पृष्ठतोऽस्माभिर्मुनिरूपो बभूव ह
tatastairmaṃtritaṃ sarvaireṣa nūnaṃ malimlucaḥ | saṃprāptaḥ pṛṣṭhato'smābhirmunirūpo babhūva ha
Alors tous se concertèrent : «Assurément, celui-ci est un brigand. Nous l’avons suivi par derrière, et il a pris l’apparence d’un muni, d’un sage».
Sūta (contextual; group speech reported)
Type: cave
Scene: The pursuers huddle and whisper, pointing at the silent ascetic, concluding he must be the robber in sage’s guise; the true robber remains hidden in the cave behind.
FAQs
Hasty judgment and collective suspicion can invert truth—warning against adharma through rash conclusions.
The episode remains anchored at Viśvāmitrī Tīrtha, where human behavior is tested in a sacred setting.
None; the verse highlights social deliberation leading toward injustice.