Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
परप्राणैस्तु ये प्राणान्स्वान्पुष्णं ति हि दुर्धियः । आकल्पं नरकान्भुक्त्वा ते भुज्यंतेत्र तैः पुनः
paraprāṇaistu ye prāṇānsvānpuṣṇaṃ ti hi durdhiyaḥ | ākalpaṃ narakānbhuktvā te bhujyaṃtetra taiḥ punaḥ
Mereka yang berakal jahat, menyuburkan hidup sendiri dengan meragut nyawa makhluk lain—sesudah menanggung neraka sepanjang satu kalpa, di sini mereka pula dimakan kembali oleh makhluk-makhluk itu.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A cosmic justice vision: violent humans feeding on others’ lives are shown first in naraka, then reborn into a world where they are devoured—illustrating the reversal of predator and prey.
FAQs
Karma is reciprocal: sustaining oneself through others’ death leads to long suffering and eventual reversal—being consumed in return.
The Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting frames the teaching, implying Kāśī’s dharma-centered ethos; no single tirtha is named in the verse.
An implied discipline: abstain from harming beings for food; no formal rite is described.