Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70
ममाक्षिपसि विप्रोच्चैः किं मया चौर्य कर्मणा । लब्धा मुद्रा त्वदीयेन पुत्रेणैषा ममार्पिता
mamākṣipasi viproccaiḥ kiṃ mayā caurya karmaṇā | labdhā mudrā tvadīyena putreṇaiṣā mamārpitā
તે બોલ્યો, “હે બ્રાહ્મણ! તમે એટલા ઊંચા સ્વરે મને કેમ દોષારોપ કરો છો? ચોરી સાથે મારું શું કામ? આ સીલ-મુદ્રિકા તો તમારા જ પુત્ર પાસેથી મળી—એણે જ મને આપી છે।”
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Audience within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (not specified)
Scene: The gambler raises his hands in protest before the brāhmaṇa, pointing outward as if to say ‘your son gave it’; the ring is visible, and the brāhmaṇa’s face shows shock and dawning realization.
FAQs
Adharma often hides behind excuses; yet the deeper warning is that a family’s negligence can enable wrongdoing.
Kāśī is the overarching sacred context (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), though the verse itself is part of a moral narrative.
None; it records a defensive claim regarding the origin of the ring.