Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32
कौतुकाद्वद मे राजन्स्वकार्ये च यथास्थितम् । कैर्विना सुगतिर्नास्ति दुर्गतिं के नयंति च
kautukādvada me rājansvakārye ca yathāsthitam | kairvinā sugatirnāsti durgatiṃ ke nayaṃti ca
“ਹੇ ਰਾਜਨ, ਕੌਤੁਕ ਵਸ਼ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦੱਸੋ—ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਕਾਰਜ ਬਾਰੇ ਹਾਲਾਤ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹਨ? ਕਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਬਿਨਾ ਸੁਗਤੀ ਨਹੀਂ, ਅਤੇ ਕੌਣ ਹਨ ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਨੂੰ ਦੁਰਗਤੀ ਵੱਲ ਧੱਕਦੇ ਹਨ?”
Unnamed interlocutor addressing King Saudāsa
Tirtha: Prabhāsa (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The brāhmaṇa, earnest and curious, questions the king about the forces behind sugati and durgati; the king listens gravely, aware of past consequences.
FAQs
One should discern the causes of uplift and downfall—knowing which associations and actions lead to sugati versus durgati.
No tīrtha is named here; the verse is ethical inquiry within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative frame.
None explicitly; it sets up a teaching about the role of the twice-born (dvija) and dharmic satisfaction.