Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32
एवं ब्रुवंति लोकेऽत्र धनिनां पुरतः स्थिताः । कुलीना अपि पापानां दृश्यंते धनलिप्सया । दरिद्रस्य मनुष्यस्य क्षितौ राज्यं प्रकुर्वतः
evaṃ bruvaṃti loke'tra dhanināṃ purataḥ sthitāḥ | kulīnā api pāpānāṃ dṛśyaṃte dhanalipsayā | daridrasya manuṣyasya kṣitau rājyaṃ prakurvataḥ
Demikianlah di dunia ini, orang yang berdiri di hadapan si kaya berkata sedemikian. Bahkan yang berdarah bangsawan pun terlihat berbuat dosa kerana tamakkan harta—lebih-lebih lagi apabila orang miskin cuba menegakkan kedaulatan di atas bumi.
Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicitly marked in this verse)
Scene: A wealthy patron seated; a line of petitioners and courtiers stand before him, speaking sweetly; among them, even a noble-looking person bends in greed. In the background, a poor aspirant to power is mocked or obstructed.
FAQs
Greed for wealth can corrupt even the well-born; dharma declines when people flatter power and money.
This verse is part of a Tīrthamāhātmya setting, but no specific tīrtha name appears in the given line.
No direct rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse.