Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 9
प्रतिश्रुतं कृतं श्लाघ्या दासतांत्यजपक्वणे । हरिश्चंद्रस्येव नृणां न श्लाघ्या सत्यसंधता
pratiśrutaṃ kṛtaṃ ślāghyā dāsatāṃtyajapakvaṇe | hariścaṃdrasyeva nṛṇāṃ na ślāghyā satyasaṃdhatā
एकदा दिलेले वचन पाळणे खरोखर स्तुत्य आहे—दास्याधीनता त्यागून परिपक्व झालेल्यातही. पण माणसांत हरिश्चंद्रासारखी सत्यनिष्ठा जशी स्तुत्य आहे तशी मानली जात नाही.
Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual, inferred from subsequent verses)
Scene: A didactic moment: the speaker contrasts genuine praiseworthiness of keeping promises with society’s shallow valuation, invoking King Hariścandra as a luminous moral reference.
FAQs
Dharma is upheld by satya—fulfilling one’s word is a sacred virtue exemplified by Hariścandra.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a dharma-instruction within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.
None explicitly; the verse emphasizes ethical observance—truthfulness and keeping vows.