Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
राजोवाच । स्वधर्म एष भूपानां कुर्वंति मृगसंक्षयम् । तस्मात्स्वधर्मसंयुक्तं न मां त्वं शप्तुमर्हसि
rājovāca | svadharma eṣa bhūpānāṃ kurvaṃti mṛgasaṃkṣayam | tasmātsvadharmasaṃyuktaṃ na māṃ tvaṃ śaptumarhasi
राजा म्हणाला—हे मुने, राजांचा हा स्वधर्म आहे की वनातील मृगांचा संक्षय करावा. म्हणून मी स्वधर्मानुसार वागलो; तू मला शाप देण्यास योग्य नाहीस.
Rājā (the king)
Scene: A king in hunting attire argues before a speaking doe in a forest clearing; attendants and bows visible; moral tension rather than violence emphasized.
FAQs
Invoking svadharma is not a blanket defense; dharma requires discernment about circumstance and harm.
No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is part of the lead-up to tīrtha-related resolution.
None; this is a dharma-argument by the king.