Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29
आपस्तंब उवाच । नाहं शतसहस्रैश्च नियम्यः पार्थिव त्वया । सदृशं दीयतां मूल्यममात्यैः सह चिंतय
āpastaṃba uvāca | nāhaṃ śatasahasraiśca niyamyaḥ pārthiva tvayā | sadṛśaṃ dīyatāṃ mūlyamamātyaiḥ saha ciṃtaya
Āpastamba dit : « Ô roi, je ne puis être “acheté”, fût-ce pour cent mille. Qu’on donne un paiement convenable ; réfléchis-y avec tes ministres. »
Āpastamba
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nabhāga
Scene: A calm ascetic Āpastamba stands before King Nabhāga in a court-like pavilion near a sacred coastal landscape; the king gestures toward ministers as the sage refuses vast sums, insisting on a fitting, dharmic settlement.
FAQs
Dharma is not a transaction; righteous settlement requires discernment and an appropriate, not merely large, offering.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a stage where dharma is tested through just decision-making and generosity.
No fixed rite—rather, a directive to decide and give a ‘fitting’ payment after counsel.