Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11
बटुरुवाच । हास्येन जलसर्पोऽयं मया मुक्तोऽत्र लीलया । न ते तातं समुद्दिश्य तत्किं मां शपसि द्विज
baṭuruvāca | hāsyena jalasarpo'yaṃ mayā mukto'tra līlayā | na te tātaṃ samuddiśya tatkiṃ māṃ śapasi dvija
Le garçon dit : « Par plaisanterie, j’ai relâché ici ce serpent d’eau, comme un jeu. Je ne l’ai pas lancé contre ton père ; pourquoi donc me maudis-tu, ô brāhmaṇa ? »
Baṭu (the boy)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A boy speaks defensively, gesturing toward the harmless water-snake; elders and priests look stern; the atmosphere is charged with impending consequence.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma stresses that ‘play’ is not a defense when harm or fear is caused in sacred settings; consequences may follow regardless of claimed intent.
Not specified in this verse; it serves the chapter’s narrative within a tīrtha-māhātmya framework.
No ritual prescription; it is a dialogue about culpability after disrupting the assembly.