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
அவள் (பெண்) பிறப்பாலும் இயல்பாலும் துன்பப் பங்காளி, ஏழ்மை நிலையுடையவள். ஆகவே வேதஸன் (விதாதா) ‘இத்தகைய பெண்களை அவமதிக்கக் கூடாது’ என்று விதித்தான். இந்த வாக்கு சாஸ்திரங்களில் ஐயமின்றி கூறப்பட்டது; மிகப் பெரிய பலன் தருவது.
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.