Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 149
एतस्मिन्नंतरे लोकः सर्व एव प्रशंकितः । अब्रवीच्च मिथोऽभ्येत्य चंडालोऽयमसंशयम्
etasminnaṃtare lokaḥ sarva eva praśaṃkitaḥ | abravīcca mitho'bhyetya caṃḍālo'yamasaṃśayam
Cependant, tout le peuple fut saisi de soupçon ; s’approchant les uns des autres, ils dirent : « Cet homme est un caṇḍāla, sans aucun doute. »
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A group of townspeople gather in a lane or market, whispering and pointing; their faces show suspicion as they pronounce a verdict about the man’s status.
FAQs
Social perception can quickly harden into accusation; dharma requires careful inquiry and proper rites to resolve doubt rather than rash condemnation.
The immediate verse focuses on the crowd’s reaction; the chapter later centers on Brahmasthāna as the site connected with removing suspicion.
None in this verse; it describes communal suspicion and labeling.