Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95
नास्तिका भिन्नमर्यादा ये च विप्रस्य घातकाः । ते सर्वेऽत्र नरा नित्यमारुहंति पतंति च
nāstikā bhinnamaryādā ye ca viprasya ghātakāḥ | te sarve'tra narā nityamāruhaṃti pataṃti ca
Les incrédules (nāstika), ceux qui franchissent les limites du dharma et ceux qui font du tort à un brāhmane—tous ces hommes, en ce lieu même, ne cessent de s’élever puis de retomber, subissant des chutes répétées.
Narratorial voice (Sūta implied by Māhātmya context)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A didactic tableau: a sacred precinct where impious figures attempt to ascend (symbolic ladders/steps) only to fall, while righteous pilgrims proceed steadily; a brāhmaṇa stands as dharma-witness.
FAQs
Disrespecting dharma—especially violence toward a Brāhmaṇa—causes repeated downfall; sacred places intensify moral consequences.
The verse belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
No ritual is prescribed here; it warns about ethical transgressions and their karmic results.