Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 70
श्रीभगवानुवाच । नायुक्तं विहितं विप्र पन्नगैस्तैर्महात्मभिः । निर्दोषश्चापि पुत्रोऽत्र येषां विप्रेण सूदितः
śrībhagavānuvāca | nāyuktaṃ vihitaṃ vipra pannagaistairmahātmabhiḥ | nirdoṣaścāpi putro'tra yeṣāṃ vipreṇa sūditaḥ
Yang Bhagavān bersabda: “Wahai brāhmaṇa, ketetapan yang ditetapkan oleh para ular agung berhati luhur itu tidaklah wajar. Kerana di sini, bahkan seorang anak yang tidak bersalah telah dibunuh oleh seorang brāhmaṇa.”
Śrī Bhagavān
Type: kshetra
Listener: vipra (brāhmaṇa)
Scene: The Lord addresses a brāhmaṇa, pointing out the impropriety of a serpent-made ordinance; in the background, a mournful scene suggests a slain innocent son, emphasizing ethical correction.
FAQs
Even seemingly “pious” rules become adharma if they cause harm to the innocent; righteousness must protect the blameless.
The verse sits within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the immediate tīrtha context is the Nāga-associated locale developed in this chapter.
No direct rite is prescribed here; it is a moral evaluation preparing for the later introduction of a protective mantra and worship context.