Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22
दण्डस्तु विधिवत्तस्य कर्त्तव्यो वेदशास्त्रिभिः । अन्यायो न्यायवादी स्यान्निर्द्दोषे दोषदायकः
daṇḍastu vidhivattasya karttavyo vedaśāstribhiḥ | anyāyo nyāyavādī syānnirddoṣe doṣadāyakaḥ
Hukumannya hendaklah dilaksanakan menurut aturan oleh para alim yang mahir dalam Veda dan śāstra. Jika tidak, kezaliman menyamar sebagai keadilan—apabila kesalahan ditimpakan kepada yang tidak bersalah.
Deductive: Sūta (didactic narration) in a dharma-adjudication context
Scene: A dharma-judge, flanked by Veda-śāstra scholars, weighs a case; a scale motif appears; an innocent person is shielded while a guilty party is restrained—symbolizing just punishment.
FAQs
True dharma in governance requires due process: punishing the guilty rightly and never manufacturing guilt for the innocent.
No tīrtha is directly praised; the verse is a dharma-ethical maxim within the Dharmāraṇya section.
No ritual; it prescribes judicial procedure—punishment must be given vidhivat by qualified authorities.