Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11
ऋषय ऊचुः । ब्रह्महत्या कथं तस्य सौदासस्य महीपतेः । ब्रह्मण्यस्यापि संजाता तदस्माकं प्रकीर्तय
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | brahmahatyā kathaṃ tasya saudāsasya mahīpateḥ | brahmaṇyasyāpi saṃjātā tadasmākaṃ prakīrtaya
Para resi berkata: “Bagaimanakah dosa membunuh brāhmaṇa itu timbul pada Raja Saudāsa, wahai raja besar—sedangkan baginda juga seorang yang berbakti kepada brāhmaṇa? Mohon ceritakan kepada kami.”
Ṛṣis (Sages)
Tirtha: Bhrūṇa-gartā
Type: kund
Listener: Sūta
Scene: A circle of sages, attentive and earnest, question Sūta about the paradox of a Brahmin-devoted king acquiring brahmahatyā.
FAQs
Even the righteous must be vigilant: dharma includes understanding how faults arise and how they are purified through proper means.
The inquiry prepares for the tīrtha’s greatness described in the chapter—its capacity to remove brahmahatyā from Saudāsa.
None directly; the verse requests a kathā (sacred account), itself a purifying practice in Purāṇic tradition (śravaṇa).