Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
एष एव परो धर्मो भूपतीनां विशेषतः । यथात्मीयं वचस्तथ्यं क्रियते निर्विकल्पितम्
eṣa eva paro dharmo bhūpatīnāṃ viśeṣataḥ | yathātmīyaṃ vacastathyaṃ kriyate nirvikalpitam
Inilah dharma tertinggi, terutama bagi para raja: bahwa kata sendiri, bila telah diucapkan sebagai kebenaran, dilaksanakan tanpa ragu dan tanpa pilihan lain.
Lakṣmaṇa (Saumitrī), inferred from immediate context
Scene: A didactic tableau: Lakṣmaṇa instructs a kingly figure with steady gaze; the atmosphere shifts from grief to resolute calm, suggesting the moral axis of truth-keeping.
FAQs
For rulers, truthfulness and unwavering fulfillment of one’s pledged word is presented as supreme dharma.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the moral frame within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.
None; the verse teaches ethical duty (satya and resolve), not a ritual act.