Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4
धर्मराज उवाच । अन्यदेहे त्वया विप्र बालभावेन वर्तता । शूलाग्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन काये विद्धो बकः क्षितौ
dharmarāja uvāca | anyadehe tvayā vipra bālabhāvena vartatā | śūlāgreṇa sutīkṣṇena kāye viddho bakaḥ kṣitau
Dharmarāja bersabda: “Wahai brāhmaṇa, dalam tubuh lain (kelahiran lampau), ketika engkau bertindak dengan kelengahan kanak-kanak, seekor bangau tertusuk pada tubuhnya oleh ujung pasak yang amat tajam, lalu jatuh ke tanah.”
Dharmarāja (Yama)
Type: kshetra
Listener: vipra (Māṇḍavya)
Scene: Dharmarāja, dignified and impartial, narrates a flashback: a careless child pierces a crane on a sharp stake; the bird falls, foreshadowing mirrored suffering.
FAQs
Even seemingly minor harm done in ignorance can mature into suffering; Purāṇic dharma stresses accountability and non-violence.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves the moral narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya framework.
None is stated here; the verse provides a karmic explanation rather than a ritual injunction.