Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52
स वल्लभावचः श्रुत्वा धर्मशास्त्राण्यवेक्ष्य च । दत्तामपि हरेत्पूर्वां श्रेयांश्चेद्वर आव्रजेत्
sa vallabhāvacaḥ śrutvā dharmaśāstrāṇyavekṣya ca | dattāmapi haretpūrvāṃ śreyāṃścedvara āvrajet
प्रियेचे वचन ऐकून व धर्मशास्त्रे पाहून त्याने निश्चय केला— “अधिक श्रेष्ठ वर आला तर आधी दिलेली कन्याही परत घेता येते।”
Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa discourse; traditionally Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa to sages)
Scene: A man listens to his beloved’s counsel, then opens or contemplates dharma-śāstra manuscripts, arriving at a firm conclusion; the emotional undertone is possessive urgency masked as legal reasoning.
FAQs
Dharma is to be discerned with śāstra-guidance and conscience, not merely by social momentum; ‘rightness’ outweighs mere prior arrangement.
No sacred geography is mentioned in this verse.
A dharma-legal principle is cited (regarding marriage arrangements), not a ritual like snāna, dāna, or japa.