Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23
तपोनित्यस्य वृद्धस्य रोषणस्य विशेषतः । केनापकृतमद्येह भार्गवस्य महात्मनः । ज्ञातं वा यदि वाऽज्ञातं तदिदं ब्रूत मा चिरम्
taponityasya vṛddhasya roṣaṇasya viśeṣataḥ | kenāpakṛtamadyeha bhārgavasya mahātmanaḥ | jñātaṃ vā yadi vā'jñātaṃ tadidaṃ brūta mā ciram
‘ഈ മഹാത്മ ഭാർഗവൻ തപസ്സിൽ നിത്യനിഷ്ഠൻ, വൃദ്ധൻ; കോപിച്ചാൽ പ്രത്യേകമായി ഭയങ്കരൻ. ഇന്ന് ഇവിടെ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന് അപകാരം ചെയ്തത് ആരാണ്—അറിഞ്ഞോ അറിയാതെയോ? വൈകാതെ ഉടൻ പറയുക.’
Śaryāti (the king) addressing his soldiers/retinue
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: King Śaryāti addresses his commanders and attendants, stern yet anxious; his gesture demands immediate disclosure; in the background, the ant-hill and the sage’s presence loom as the unseen cause.
FAQs
When dharma is disturbed, leaders must urgently investigate wrongdoing and seek rectification, acknowledging the spiritual authority of tapasvīs.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the king recognizes the sacred danger of offending a great sage.
No explicit ritual is stated; the verse prescribes swift disclosure and accountability as the first step toward resolution.