Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 95
म्रियमाणोऽप्याददीत न राजा ब्राह्मणात्करम् । न च क्षुधा ऽस्य संसीदेद्ब्राह्मणो विषये वसन्
mriyamāṇo'pyādadīta na rājā brāhmaṇātkaram | na ca kṣudhā 'sya saṃsīdedbrāhmaṇo viṣaye vasan
രാജാവ് മരണമുഖത്തായാലും ബ്രാഹ്മണനിൽ നിന്ന് നികുതി എടുക്കരുത്; രാജ്യമുള്ളിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ വിശപ്പാൽ ഒരിക്കലും വാടിപ്പോകാൻ ഇടയാകരുത്.
Śiva (deduced from nearby verses identifying Brāhmaṇas as Śiva’s form)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Audience seeking tīrtha and dharma instruction
Scene: A king refuses to accept tax from a humble brāhmaṇa; instead he orders food distribution. The brāhmaṇa is shown dignified, not destitute, emphasizing the king’s duty to prevent hunger.
FAQs
Rājadharma requires protecting and sustaining Brāhmaṇas; exploiting them through taxation or neglect is adharma.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, within the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa.
A governance-based injunction: do not levy taxes on Brāhmaṇas and ensure they are fed—an implied form of dāna and protection.