Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55
एतस्मात्कारणान्नष्टो न कामान्न च संभ्रमात् । अभक्ष्यभक्षणाद्भीतः सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्
etasmātkāraṇānnaṣṭo na kāmānna ca saṃbhramāt | abhakṣyabhakṣaṇādbhītaḥ satyametanmayoditam
このゆえに我は姿を消した――欲望ゆえでもなく、迷乱ゆえでもない。禁じられたものを食することを恐れたのだ。これこそ我が語った真実である。
Agni (context continued)
Listener: Brahmā
Scene: Agni stands before Brahmā with palms joined, solemnly declaring his disappearance was due to fear of forbidden consumption; the scene emphasizes moral resolve over anger.
FAQs
Dharma is upheld by restraint: fear of transgressing purity laws (abhakṣya) is presented as a higher motive than desire or panic.
No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the ethical backstory within the chapter’s tīrtha discourse.
No explicit ritual is stated; the implied prescription is avoidance of abhakṣya (prohibited consumption) to preserve dharmic purity.