Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
हास्यभावाच्च मित्रस्य पुस्तकं तेन चोरितम् । मित्रैः पृष्टः पौण्ड्रकः स प्राह नैव मया हृतम्
hāsyabhāvācca mitrasya pustakaṃ tena coritam | mitraiḥ pṛṣṭaḥ pauṇḍrakaḥ sa prāha naiva mayā hṛtam
હાસ્યભાવથી તેણે મિત્રનું પુસ્તક ચોરી લીધું. મિત્રો પૂછતાં પૌણ્ડ્રકે કહ્યું—“મેં તો એ કદી લીધું જ નથી.”
Sūta (continuing narration)
Scene: A group of youths confront Pauṇḍraka; he hides a palm-leaf manuscript behind his back, smiling as he denies the act.
FAQs
Even ‘in jest,’ theft and denial undermine dharma; Purāṇic narratives warn that casual wrongdoing still bears karmic weight.
The tīrtha context remains in the background of Adhyāya 58; the story illustrates how conduct in sacred settings is judged.
None directly; it sets up the ethical breach (theft and false denial) that later connects to oath-taking at the tīrtha.
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