Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 76
अत्रिरुवाच । मातरं पितरं नित्यं दुर्मतिः सोऽवमन्यताम् । शूद्रं पृच्छतु धर्मार्थं बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः
atriruvāca | mātaraṃ pitaraṃ nityaṃ durmatiḥ so'vamanyatām | śūdraṃ pṛcchatu dharmārthaṃ bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ
Atri bersabda: “Orang yang berfikiran jahat itu biarlah dianggap sebagai yang sentiasa menghina ibu dan bapa—dia yang dalam hal dharma pergi bertanya kepada seorang Śūdra, dan dia yang mencuri tangkai teratai.”
Atri
Scene: Atri rishi speaks while a young man turns away from his aged parents; a separate vignette shows him seeking counsel inappropriately, contrasted with a serene guru-assembly.
FAQs
It stresses sadācāra (right conduct): honoring one’s parents and seeking dharma-guidance from proper authorities, warning that ethical lapses undermine religious life even in a tīrtha context.
This verse functions as a general dharma-assertion within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the snippet itself does not name a particular tīrtha.
No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; the verse gives a moral censure related to conduct and proper inquiry into dharma.