Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
प्रतिज्ञायाप्रयच्छन्यो ह्यल्पायुर्जायते नरः । विप्रवृत्त्यपहारी स्यादजीर्णी सर्वदाऽधमः
pratijñāyāprayacchanyo hyalpāyurjāyate naraḥ | vipravṛttyapahārī syādajīrṇī sarvadā'dhamaḥ
പ്രതിജ്ഞ ചെയ്ത് വാഗ്ദത്തദാനം നൽകാത്തവൻ അൽപായുസ്സോടെ ജനിക്കുന്നു. ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ ഉപജീവനം അപഹരിക്കുന്നവൻ എപ്പോഴും അജീർണ്ണരോഗിയാകുകയും അധമനായി കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A householder publicly makes a pledge before elders and a brāhmaṇa, then withholds the promised gift; beside him, a brāhmaṇa’s livelihood is taken away—shown as a stolen bundle of grain/coins—while the moral consequence is hinted through a withered lifespan motif and a figure clutching his stomach in indigestion.
FAQs
Integrity in speech and generosity in fulfilled pledges are dharma; betrayal of vows and exploitation of the pious bring swift karmic decline.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on ethical causality (karmavipāka).
The verse implies the dharma of honoring one’s promised dāna (gift/charity), though no detailed ritual is specified.