Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19
कृते प्रतिकृतं कुर्याद्धिंसने प्रतिहिंसनम् । न तत्र जायते दोषो यो दुष्टे दुष्टमाचरेत्
kṛte pratikṛtaṃ kuryāddhiṃsane pratihiṃsanam | na tatra jāyate doṣo yo duṣṭe duṣṭamācaret
À l’acte accompli, qu’on rende un acte en retour; à la violence, une contre-violence. Alors aucune faute ne naît pour celui qui agit « comme le méchant » envers le méchant, c’est-à-dire qui répond à la mesure du tort.
Narrative context (General maxim within Tīrthamāhātmya moral discourse; likely quoted as accepted dharma principle)
Scene: A moral tableau: a wrongdoer confronted by a protector of dharma; the act is restrained and proportionate, with sages witnessing as arbiters of righteousness.
FAQs
Dharma may permit proportionate response to wrongdoing, framing it as morally non-culpable when directed against the wicked.
None is named in this verse; the tīrtha context is broader than this maxim.
None; it is a normative statement about conduct.