Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
विना तेन स गम्यः स्यान्नीचानामपि सत्वरम् । एतस्मात्कारणाद्भूपाः करं गृह्णंति लोकतः
vinā tena sa gamyaḥ syānnīcānāmapi satvaram | etasmātkāraṇādbhūpāḥ karaṃ gṛhṇaṃti lokataḥ
Tanpa kekuatan itu (yang ditopang oleh hasil cukai), negeri akan segera menjadi mudah dimasuki bahkan oleh golongan yang hina. Oleh sebab itulah para raja memungut cukai daripada rakyat.
A king/ruler (speaker not explicitly named in this snippet)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two-panel moral tableau: one side a fortified, orderly city with guarded roads to a tīrtha; the other side a weakened realm with bandits entering freely, pilgrims distressed—illustrating the consequence of lacking strength.
FAQs
Public order and protection are dharmic aims; lawful revenue is defended as a means to prevent chaos.
No site is specified in this verse; it supports the narrative that leads into a tīrtha inquiry.
None; it is an argument for the necessity of taxation in righteous rule.