Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40
राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणां यत्पापं जायते नृणाम् । तेन पापेन लिप्यामि यद्यहं नागमे पुनः
rājapaiśunyakartṝṇāṃ yatpāpaṃ jāyate nṛṇām | tena pāpena lipyāmi yadyahaṃ nāgame punaḥ
Si je ne reviens pas ici, que je sois souillé par le péché qui naît chez les hommes qui pratiquent la calomnie et le colportage dans les affaires des rois ; par ce même péché, que je sois marqué.
Unspecified (contextual vow/utterance within Arbuda Khaṇḍa narration; likely a pilgrim or narrator-voice within the māhātmya)
Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim makes his vow near a tīrtha shrine while, in the background, courtiers whisper and point toward a king’s pavilion—symbolizing rāja-paiśunya. The pilgrim turns away, choosing silence and truth.
FAQs
Malicious speech—especially political slander—is condemned; devotion to the tīrtha is framed as incompatible with such corruption.
Arbuda-kṣetra is upheld as a place inspiring vows of purity and faithful return.
No specific ritual act is stated; it functions as a moral-ritual vow (saṅkalpa) tied to pilgrimage.