Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 181
उपकारिषु यः साधुः साधुत्वे तस्य को गुणः । अपकारिषु यः साधुः कीर्त्यते जनैः
upakāriṣu yaḥ sādhuḥ sādhutve tasya ko guṇaḥ | apakāriṣu yaḥ sādhuḥ kīrtyate janaiḥ
Si l’on n’est vertueux qu’envers ceux qui nous ont fait du bien, quel mérite singulier y a-t-il là ? Mais celui qui demeure vertueux même envers ceux qui lui nuisent, le peuple le célèbre.
Guru
Scene: A calm sage instructs a disciple: two contrasting vignettes—one man courteous only to a benefactor; another serene and forgiving toward an aggressor—highlighting the higher virtue of forbearance.
FAQs
Real virtue is tested in adversity: being good to those who harm you is the mark of a true sādhu.
No particular tīrtha is named in this verse.
No ritual; it prescribes compassionate conduct and forbearance as dharmic practice.