Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22
आदेशं पठते यस्तु राजद्वारे तु मानवः । सोऽपि देवि भवेद्वृक्ष ऊषरे कंटकावृतः । स्थितो वै नृपतिद्वारि यः कुर्याद्वेदविक्रयम्
ādeśaṃ paṭhate yastu rājadvāre tu mānavaḥ | so'pi devi bhavedvṛkṣa ūṣare kaṃṭakāvṛtaḥ | sthito vai nṛpatidvāri yaḥ kuryādvedavikrayam
Wahai Dewi, manusia yang membaca pengumuman (ādeśa) di pintu gerbang raja—dia akan menjadi sebatang pokok di tanah tandus masin (ūṣara), diselubungi duri. Demikian juga, sesiapa yang berdiri di pintu istana lalu memperdagangkan Veda sebagai barang dagangan akan jatuh kepada nasib yang sama.
Unknown (within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya dialogue; addressed to ‘Devi’)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī
Scene: A royal gateway scene: a man recites proclamations before guards and courtiers; beside him a Veda-scroll is weighed like merchandise. In the karmic aftermath vignette, he appears as a thorn-covered tree in a white, salt-crusted wasteland.
FAQs
Sacred knowledge must not be commercialized; treating the Veda as a commodity leads to spiritual downfall.
Prabhāsa Kṣetra is the broader setting (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya), though this verse focuses on dharma rather than a single sub-tīrtha.
No ritual is prescribed here; it is an ethical prohibition against veda-vikraya (selling the Veda).