Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
विना तेन स गम्यः स्यान्नीचानामपि सत्वरम् । एतस्मात्कारणाद्भूपाः करं गृह्णंति लोकतः
vinā tena sa gamyaḥ syānnīcānāmapi satvaram | etasmātkāraṇādbhūpāḥ karaṃ gṛhṇaṃti lokataḥ
Sans cette force (soutenue par l’impôt), le royaume deviendrait vite accessible même aux gens les plus vils. C’est pourquoi les rois prélèvent l’impôt sur le peuple.
A king/ruler (speaker not explicitly named in this snippet)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two-panel moral tableau: one side a fortified, orderly city with guarded roads to a tīrtha; the other side a weakened realm with bandits entering freely, pilgrims distressed—illustrating the consequence of lacking strength.
FAQs
Public order and protection are dharmic aims; lawful revenue is defended as a means to prevent chaos.
No site is specified in this verse; it supports the narrative that leads into a tīrtha inquiry.
None; it is an argument for the necessity of taxation in righteous rule.