Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 45
सा च जातिप्रकृत्यैव कृपणा दैन्यभागिनी । तासामुपरि मावज्ञा भवेदिति च वेधसा । शास्त्रेषूक्तमसंदिग्धं वाक्यमेतन्महात्फलम्
sā ca jātiprakṛtyaiva kṛpaṇā dainyabhāginī | tāsāmupari māvajñā bhavediti ca vedhasā | śāstreṣūktamasaṃdigdhaṃ vākyametanmahātphalam
“Pelo próprio nascimento e pela sua condição natural, ela é pobre e partilha a porção da adversidade. Por isso o Ordenador (Brahmā) estabeleceu que não haja desprezo para com tais mulheres. Esta palavra é ensinada nas śāstra sem dúvida, e produz grande fruto espiritual.”
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Listener: Nārada
Scene: A moral teaching tableau: the speaker warns against contempt; a vulnerable woman is shown being respectfully assisted (offered water/seat), contrasting with a figure turning away in disdain.
FAQs
Do not despise or belittle those who are socially or materially vulnerable; honoring śāstric compassion itself becomes a source of great merit (mahā-phala).
This verse is primarily a dharma-instruction (ethical śāstra-vākya) rather than a direct tīrtha-glorification; the broader Kaumārikākhaṇḍa context may connect it to a sacred narrative, but the verse itself does not name a site.
No specific ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; the injunction is moral—avoid avajñā (contempt) and follow the śāstric rule of respectful conduct.