Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25
ऋषय ऊचुः । जीवितात्ययमापन्नो योऽन्नमाद्रियते ततः । आकाश इव पंकेन न स पापेन लिप्यते
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | jīvitātyayamāpanno yo'nnamādriyate tataḥ | ākāśa iva paṃkena na sa pāpena lipyate
Les sages dirent : Quand un homme est parvenu au bord de la mort, s’il accepte de la nourriture de là (même d’une telle source), il n’est pas souillé par le péché, comme le ciel n’est pas maculé de boue.
Ṛṣis (sages)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka et al. (frame) / internal: caṇḍāla addressed by ṛṣis
Scene: The sages respond with calm authority, explaining that one at death’s door who accepts food is not tainted—like the sky untouched by mud—using a cosmic metaphor to dissolve social fear.
FAQs
In extreme distress (āpaddharma), preserving life can override ordinary restrictions, without incurring sin.
Prabhāsakṣetra—its māhātmya teaches not only merit but also subtle dharma for real-life situations.
No ritual; it provides a dharmic exception: accepting food to prevent death is not sinful.