Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 65
कूटशासनकर्तारः कूटयुद्धकराश्च ये । निर्दयोऽतीव भृत्येषु पशूनां दमनश्च यः
kūṭaśāsanakartāraḥ kūṭayuddhakarāśca ye | nirdayo'tīva bhṛtyeṣu paśūnāṃ damanaśca yaḥ
जे कपटपूर्ण शासन-आदेश घडवितात व फसवे युद्ध घडवितात; जे सेवकांवर अत्यंत निर्दयी असतात; आणि जे पशूंना दडपून छळतात—असे लोक धर्मयुक्त व्यवस्थेचे विरोधक आहेत।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative convention
Scene: A ruler’s court: a just king rejects a deceitful ordinance; in another vignette, a cruel master strikes a servant and torments animals, contrasted with compassionate protection—servants cared for and animals gently handled.
FAQs
Dharma rejects cruelty and deceit—whether in governance, conflict, or treatment of dependents and animals.
No specific holy site is named; the verse is a general dharma-teaching passage.
No ritual prescription appears; it is a moral warning.