Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78
प्रजाविरहितो राजा कोशदुर्गबलादिभिः । समृद्धोप्यचिरान्नश्येत्कूलसंस्थ इव द्रुमः
prajāvirahito rājā kośadurgabalādibhiḥ | samṛddhopyacirānnaśyetkūlasaṃstha iva drumaḥ
प्रजाविरहित राजा, कोश-दुर्ग-सेना इत्यादींनी समृद्ध असला तरी लवकरच नाश पावतो—जसा झिजणाऱ्या काठावर उभा वृक्ष।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Gaṅgā-taṭa)
Type: ghat
Scene: A strong tree on a riverbank with soil collapsing into the current; nearby, a fortified city and armed troops appear useless as the ground gives way—symbolizing prajā-less kingship.
FAQs
Power structures cannot replace dharmic care for people; neglect of subjects leads to inevitable downfall.
No direct tīrtha reference; it is an ethical maxim situated within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa context.
None; it is a political-ethical teaching framed in Purāṇic dharma.