Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32
एवं ब्रुवंति लोकेऽत्र धनिनां पुरतः स्थिताः । कुलीना अपि पापानां दृश्यंते धनलिप्सया । दरिद्रस्य मनुष्यस्य क्षितौ राज्यं प्रकुर्वतः
evaṃ bruvaṃti loke'tra dhanināṃ purataḥ sthitāḥ | kulīnā api pāpānāṃ dṛśyaṃte dhanalipsayā | daridrasya manuṣyasya kṣitau rājyaṃ prakurvataḥ
Demikianlah di dunia ini orang-orang yang berdiri di hadapan kaum berharta berkata begitu. Karena loba harta, bahkan yang berdarah mulia pun tampak berbuat dosa—terutama ketika seorang miskin hendak menegakkan kekuasaan di bumi.
Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicitly marked in this verse)
Scene: A wealthy patron seated; a line of petitioners and courtiers stand before him, speaking sweetly; among them, even a noble-looking person bends in greed. In the background, a poor aspirant to power is mocked or obstructed.
FAQs
Greed for wealth can corrupt even the well-born; dharma declines when people flatter power and money.
This verse is part of a Tīrthamāhātmya setting, but no specific tīrtha name appears in the given line.
No direct rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse.