Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49
किं नास्ति वात्र भूपालो येनैतदसमंजसम् । ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण निर्दोषस्य महाजनाः
kiṃ nāsti vātra bhūpālo yenaitadasamaṃjasam | brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa nirdoṣasya mahājanāḥ
ഇവിടെ ഒരു രാജാവുമില്ലേ, ഇത്തരമൊരു അന്യായം നടക്കാൻ അനുവദിക്കാൻ—വിശേഷിച്ച് കുറ്റമില്ലാത്ത ബ്രാഹ്മണനോടു, ഹേ മഹാജനങ്ങളേ?
Puṣpa (addressing the gathered people; inferred)
Scene: The brāhmaṇa, supported by helpers, addresses the gathered ‘mahājanas’ with a forceful question about the absence of a king; the crowd turns as if toward a palace or court, anticipating judgment.
FAQs
Rulers are guardians of dharma; permitting injustice—especially toward the blameless—undermines social and spiritual order.
The teaching occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative space of Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse highlights rājadharma (kingly duty) as a moral imperative.