Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49
किं नास्ति वात्र भूपालो येनैतदसमंजसम् । ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण निर्दोषस्य महाजनाः
kiṃ nāsti vātra bhūpālo yenaitadasamaṃjasam | brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa nirdoṣasya mahājanāḥ
«N’y a-t-il donc point de roi en ce lieu, pour qu’une telle injustice soit tolérée—surtout contre un brāhmaṇa sans faute, ô notables parmi le peuple ?»
Puṣpa (addressing the gathered people; inferred)
Scene: The brāhmaṇa, supported by helpers, addresses the gathered ‘mahājanas’ with a forceful question about the absence of a king; the crowd turns as if toward a palace or court, anticipating judgment.
FAQs
Rulers are guardians of dharma; permitting injustice—especially toward the blameless—undermines social and spiritual order.
The teaching occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative space of Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse highlights rājadharma (kingly duty) as a moral imperative.