Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
स ज्ञात्वा मानुषेणात्र भवितव्यमसंशयम् । न शून्याः पशवो रात्रौ स्थास्यंति विजने वने
sa jñātvā mānuṣeṇātra bhavitavyamasaṃśayam | na śūnyāḥ paśavo rātrau sthāsyaṃti vijane vane
അവൻ സംശയമില്ലാതെ അറിഞ്ഞു—ഇവിടെ മനുഷ്യസാന്നിധ്യം തീർച്ചയായും ഉണ്ടാകണം; കാരണം നിർജനവനത്തിൽ രാത്രിയിൽ മൃഗങ്ങൾ ഒറ്റയ്ക്കും അനാഥമായും നില്ക്കുകയില്ല।
Sūta (deduced)
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijoत्तमāḥ (addressed audience: best of brāhmaṇas)
Scene: A solitary figure in a dark, sparse forest at night, watching a small herd; the animals cluster uneasily, suggesting an unseen human presence nearby; moonlight filters through trees.
FAQs
Dharma is recognized through signs: protection and order are inferred where fearlessness appears; guardianship is a moral expectation in society.
The forested kṣetra around Ajāgṛha, where the goats’ behavior signals a protected sacred zone.
None; it highlights the practical dharma of vigilance/protection rather than a formal rite.