Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110
इत्थं द्विजेंद्र निजभृत्यगणान्सदैव संशिक्षयेदवनिगान्स हि धर्मराजः । अन्येपि ये हरिहरांकधरा धरायां ते दूरतः पुनरहो परिवर्जनीयाः
itthaṃ dvijeṃdra nijabhṛtyagaṇānsadaiva saṃśikṣayedavanigānsa hi dharmarājaḥ | anyepi ye hariharāṃkadharā dharāyāṃ te dūrataḥ punaraho parivarjanīyāḥ
Demikianlah, wahai brahmana terbaik, Dharmarāja (Yama) senantiasa menasihati para pelayannya. Adapun mereka di bumi yang hanya memanggul tanda lahiriah Hari dan Hara—jika laku mereka najis—patut dijauhi dari jauh.
Skanda (deduced; addressing a Brahmin listener within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)
Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dvijendra (‘O best of Brahmins’ explicitly addressed)
Scene: Dharmarāja instructs Yamadūtas in a stern yet just court; in a contrasting vignette, pretenders wearing sectarian marks are shown being avoided/flagged from afar due to impure conduct.
FAQs
Outer religious symbols are not substitutes for righteous conduct; dharma is proven by character, not costume.
The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered teaching, emphasizing the moral standards expected in a liberation-giving sacred city.
No specific rite; it prescribes ethical discernment—avoiding association with those who misuse sacred emblems.