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
Dalam suasana bergurau, ia mencuri kitab milik sahabatnya. Ketika ditanya para sahabat, Pauṇḍraka berkata, “Sama sekali bukan aku yang mengambilnya.”
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.