Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52
दर्शयिष्ये मुखं तेषां त्वया हीना अहं कथम् । बांधवानां गुरूणां च अन्येषां सुदृदा मपि
darśayiṣye mukhaṃ teṣāṃ tvayā hīnā ahaṃ katham | bāṃdhavānāṃ gurūṇāṃ ca anyeṣāṃ sudṛdā mapi
Tanpamu, bagaimana aku dapat menampakkan wajahku kepada sanak saudara, kepada para guru, dan juga kepada yang lain yang dekat serta setia?
The Brahmin’s wife
Type: kshetra
Listener: husband
Scene: The wife imagines returning alone, unable to face relatives and revered teachers; her gaze drops, hands clasped, while the sacred surroundings remain still and impartial.
FAQs
Dharma is relational: one’s vows and actions must withstand scrutiny before elders, kin, and society, especially when taken in a sacred place.
The surrounding narrative glorifies a mahākṣetra in Nāgarakhaṇḍa; the verse underscores how sacred places intensify moral responsibility.
No ritual action is stated; the verse emphasizes marital fidelity and the ethics of public-facing dharma.