Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30
प्रेता ऊचुः । याचमानस्य विप्रस्य लिखत्येष धरातले । नोत्तरं पठते किञ्चित्तेनासौ लेखकः स्मृतः
pretā ūcuḥ | yācamānasya viprasya likhatyeṣa dharātale | nottaraṃ paṭhate kiñcittenāsau lekhakaḥ smṛtaḥ
പ്രേതങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞു—ഭിക്ഷ ചോദിക്കുന്ന ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ ഇവൻ നിലത്ത് എഴുതും; എന്നാൽ ഒരു മറുപടിയും വായിച്ചു പറയുകയില്ല. അതിനാൽ ഇവൻ ‘ലേഖകൻ’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.
Pretas
Tirtha: Prabhāsa
Type: kshetra
Listener: Gautama
Scene: A brāhmaṇa beggar stands with outstretched hand; a man crouches, scribbling on the earth dismissively, turning away without speaking. In the background, the same man appears as a preta, marked by the label ‘Lekhaka’.
FAQs
Mocking or evading a worthy request for aid—by empty gestures instead of real giving—becomes a karmic identity.
Prabhāsakṣetra provides the narrative frame; the verse itself focuses on dharma of giving rather than a sub-tīrtha name.
Implied prescription: respond properly to a brāhmaṇa’s request with fitting dāna, not evasive behavior.