Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
स्वस्थानं गच्छ शीघ्रं त्वं भुक्त्वा भोगान्यथेप्सितान् । कुरु निष्कण्टकं राज्यं नाके शक्र इवापरः
svasthānaṃ gaccha śīghraṃ tvaṃ bhuktvā bhogānyathepsitān | kuru niṣkaṇṭakaṃ rājyaṃ nāke śakra ivāparaḥ
तू शीघ्र आपल्या स्थानी जा. जे भोग तुला यथेष्ट अभिलषित आहेत ते भोग; आणि स्वर्गातील शक्रासारखे, काटेरहित (निर्विघ्न) राज्य स्थापन कर.
Īśvara (Śiva) / Rudra
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tirtha milieu
Type: kshetra
Listener: Citrasena
Scene: Śiva instructs the king to return and rule; imagery of a thornless kingdom—orderly city, protected people—evoked behind them.
FAQs
Spiritual attainment does not negate worldly duty; righteous kingship (rājadharma) is itself a sacred responsibility.
The Revā Khaṇḍa context frames this counsel as arising from tapas at a sacred spot (Bhṛgutuṅga/kuṇḍa), though this verse highlights rājadharma.
None; it prescribes ethical governance—creating a “thornless” realm—rather than a ritual.