Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 35
केचिच्छंसंति चैश्वर्यं नंदभद्रो न मन्यते । मानुषा मानुषानेव दासभावेन भुंजते
kecicchaṃsaṃti caiśvaryaṃ naṃdabhadro na manyate | mānuṣā mānuṣāneva dāsabhāvena bhuṃjate
केचित् ऐश्वर्यं प्रशंसन्ति; नन्दभद्रस्तु तन्न मन्यते। मनुष्याः मनुष्यानेव दासभावेन भुञ्जते—एषा भोगवृत्तिः बन्धनमूला।
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.