Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 35
केचिच्छंसंति चैश्वर्यं नंदभद्रो न मन्यते । मानुषा मानुषानेव दासभावेन भुंजते
kecicchaṃsaṃti caiśvaryaṃ naṃdabhadro na manyate | mānuṣā mānuṣāneva dāsabhāvena bhuṃjate
ਕਈ ਲੋਕ ਐਸ਼ਵਰਯ ਅਤੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਦੀ ਸਿਫ਼ਤ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਪਰ ਨੰਦਭਦ੍ਰ ਇਸ ਨੂੰ ਨਹੀਂ ਮੰਨਦਾ; ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਮਨੁੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਦਾਸ ਬਣਾ ਕੇ ਭੋਗ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ—ਇਹ ਭੋਗ ਬੰਧਨ ਦਾ ਹੀ ਰੂਪ ਹੈ।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative mode)
Scene: Nandabhadra stands before a court or wealthy household, refusing to praise dominion; behind him, a contrast scene shows laborers treated as slaves; the moral tension is visible—one side opulence, the other suffering.
FAQs
Power is not inherently praiseworthy; dharma rejects enjoyment built on the humiliation and bondage of other people.
No holy site is named; the emphasis is on moral governance and social dharma.
No ritual is prescribed; it is an ethical injunction against exploitative dominion.