Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37
अहिंसा परमो धर्मस्तदग्निर्ज्वाल्यते कुतः । हूयमाने यतो वह्नौ सूक्ष्मजीववधो महान्
ahiṃsā paramo dharmastadagnirjvālyate kutaḥ | hūyamāne yato vahnau sūkṣmajīvavadho mahān
“A ahiṃsā é o dharma supremo—como, então, pode este fogo ser aceso? Pois, quando as oferendas são lançadas na chama, dá-se grande mortandade de seres sutis.”
Kṣapaṇaka (ascetic) to Barbarīka
Scene: The ascetic points toward the blazing altar, questioning the kindling of fire; tiny unseen beings are implied in the air and offerings, while priests continue the rite.
FAQs
It raises a classic dharma tension: the ideal of ahiṃsā versus ritual action that may entail unseen harm.
The verse is part of the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa’s local māhātmya narrative; the named setting nearby is Sīka-uttara and the Eka-pada cremation-ground region.
The verse references kindling sacrificial fire and offering oblations (homa/yajña) but does not prescribe a specific rite; it questions the practice on ahiṃsā grounds.