Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 52
नावो न संति सेनाया बह्व्या वानरपुंगवाः । वणिजामुपघातं च कथमस्मद्विधश्चरेत्
nāvo na saṃti senāyā bahvyā vānarapuṃgavāḥ | vaṇijāmupaghātaṃ ca kathamasmadvidhaścaret
हे वानरश्रेष्ठांनो! एवढ्या विशाल सेनेसाठी पुरेशा नौका नाहीत. आणि व्यापाऱ्यांना हानी होईल असा मार्ग मी कसा स्वीकारू?
Rāma (addressing the Vānaras)
Tirtha: Setu (Rāma-setu) / Setubandha region
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣi/kingly interlocutor typical of māhātmya frames)
Scene: Rāma addresses the vānaras at the shore, surveying the vast host and the sea, rejecting inadequate boats and expressing concern for merchant harm; banners, rocks, and restless waves frame the deliberation.
FAQs
True dharma weighs consequences—victory must not be pursued through acts that harm innocents or disrupt public welfare.
The Setu coastal zone, presented as a living social space (with merchants and travel), later sanctified through Rāma’s dharmic action.
None; the focus is ethical restraint (ahiṃsā/anupaghāta) within righteous strategy.