Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41
तस्माद्यदि बलान्मां त्वं योजयिष्यसि तं प्रति । त्वां त्यक्त्वाऽन्यत्र यास्यामि यतः प्रोक्तं महर्षिभिः
tasmādyadi balānmāṃ tvaṃ yojayiṣyasi taṃ prati | tvāṃ tyaktvā'nyatra yāsyāmi yataḥ proktaṃ maharṣibhiḥ
“Maka, jika engkau memaksa aku dengan kekuatan untuk berkhidmat kepadanya, aku akan meninggalkanmu dan pergi ke tempat lain—demikianlah yang telah dinyatakan oleh para maharishi.”
Yājñavalkya
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta frame, contextually likely)
Scene: A tense guru–disciple confrontation: the disciple stands firm, palms slightly raised in refusal, while elders or sages are evoked as moral authority; the setting suggests an āśrama or a tīrtha rest-house with pilgrims in the background.
FAQs
One should not be coerced into actions that violate established dharma; the seers’ injunctions guide righteous refusal.
No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse; it reinforces dharmic standards within a tīrtha-oriented chapter.
No direct prescription; it is an ethical boundary regarding compelled participation in rites or royal demands.