Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34
अहो मूढतमा यूयं यदेतद्ब्राह्मणत्रयम् । वृथा मृत्युमवाप्नोति निग्रहे सुगमे सति
aho mūḍhatamā yūyaṃ yadetadbrāhmaṇatrayam | vṛthā mṛtyumavāpnoti nigrahe sugame sati
«Hélas ! combien vous êtes égarés : ce trio de brāhmaṇa court inutilement vers la mort, alors qu’il est aisé de les retenir et de les corriger.»
Śāṇḍilya (quoted within Sūta’s narration)
Type: kshetra
Listener: the assembled brāhmaṇas
Scene: Śāṇḍilya points toward or references three brāhmaṇas in peril; the crowd shows shock; the sage’s expression mixes grief and stern resolve.
FAQs
Dharma favors preventable, life-preserving correction and purification over needless self-destruction.
The instruction will point to Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā in this sacred field as the accessible purifier.
The verse emphasizes ‘nigraha’ (restraint/prevention) as the immediate duty; specific expiations and Gaṅgā-snānā follow.