Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 74
धार्मिकः पूज्यते तत्र पापः पाशगलो भवेत् । धार्मिकश्च यथा याति तं मार्गं शृणु वच्मि ते
dhārmikaḥ pūjyate tatra pāpaḥ pāśagalo bhavet | dhārmikaśca yathā yāti taṃ mārgaṃ śṛṇu vacmi te
तेथे धार्मिकाचा सत्कार होतो, आणि पापी फासाच्या बंधनात पडतो. आता ऐक—धार्मिक त्या मार्गाने कसा जातो, ते मी तुला सांगतो।
Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative style)
Listener: a sage/audience (contextual)
Scene: Two contrasted processions: a dhārmika honored with respectful attendants and open path; a pāpī bound by a noose, dragged aside. The narrator gestures, promising to describe the righteous path.
FAQs
Dharma brings dignity and protection even beyond death, while pāpa results in bondage and humiliation.
None; the verse transitions to describing the righteous person’s path rather than a location’s māhātmya.
No single rite is stated; it introduces the topic of merits that ease the path, expanded in subsequent verses.