Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 67
कथं यूयं प्रवर्तध्वे विप्रा हिंसापरायणाः । तच्छ्रुत्वा वज्रतुल्यं हि वचनं च द्विजोत्तमाः
kathaṃ yūyaṃ pravartadhve viprā hiṃsāparāyaṇāḥ | tacchrutvā vajratulyaṃ hi vacanaṃ ca dvijottamāḥ
ஓ விப்ரர்களே, வன்முறையையே நோக்கமாகக் கொண்டு நீங்கள் எவ்வாறு செயல்படுகிறீர்கள்? அந்த வஜ்ரம் போன்ற சொல்லைக் கேட்ட இருமுறை பிறந்தோரில் சிறந்தோர்—
The king (first half); narrator resumes (second half, leading into next verse)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ)
Scene: The king confronts the brāhmaṇas with a piercing question; the brāhmaṇas recoil slightly, faces stunned, as if struck by a thunderbolt; the forest seems momentarily still.
FAQs
Dharma is judged by compassion; even revered groups are questioned when their actions contradict ahiṃsā.
Dharmāraṇya remains the sacred frame; the verse magnifies dharma-teaching rather than pilgrimage description.
No direct ritual; it is a corrective admonition against हिंसा as a religious practice.