Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 78
तांबूलोत्थानि छिद्राणि यथा स्युर्धनिनामिह । तानि सर्वाणि चीर्णानि त्वया राजन्नजानता । तेन वै विभवोच्छित्तिः संजाता सहसा नृप
tāṃbūlotthāni chidrāṇi yathā syurdhanināmiha | tāni sarvāṇi cīrṇāni tvayā rājannajānatā | tena vai vibhavocchittiḥ saṃjātā sahasā nṛpa
«Les failles qui naissent du tāmbūla (bétel) chez les riches—ces fautes mêmes, ô Roi, tu les as toutes commises sans le savoir. C’est pourquoi, ô souverain, la destruction de ta prospérité est survenue soudainement.»
Nārada (contextual continuation to the king)
Listener: King
Scene: A king appears distressed as a sage explains the hidden ‘holes’/vulnerabilities in wealth caused by improper betel practice; visual metaphor of cracked treasure vessels or leaking pots beside royal treasury.
FAQs
Unknowing lapses still bear fruit; dharma asks for mindful living, especially for those entrusted with wealth and power.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter that uses moral causality to frame sacred practice.
The verse implies avoidance/care regarding improper tāmbūla-related conduct; explicit prāyaścitta is asked in the following verses.