Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । सन्देहेषु च सर्वेषु विवादेषु विशेषतः । अभावात्पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य संजातश्च पराभवः
brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | sandeheṣu ca sarveṣu vivādeṣu viśeṣataḥ | abhāvātpārthivendrasya saṃjātaśca parābhavaḥ
பிராமணர்கள் கூறினர்—எல்லா ஐயங்களிலும், குறிப்பாகத் தகராறுகளில், அரசேந்திரன் இல்லாததால் தோல்வியும் குழப்பமும் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளன।
Brāhmaṇas
Listener: The renounced king (Satyasaṃdha implied by prior colophon context)
Scene: Brāhmaṇas speaking with concern, hands raised in explanation; behind them, vignettes of quarrels in a marketplace/court, broken scales of justice, and a vacant throne symbolizing the king’s absence.
FAQs
Dharma in society depends on righteous governance; when the rightful protector is absent, disputes multiply and defeat follows.
The verse functions within the Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya storyline rather than directly praising a tīrtha in this line.
None; it is a social-dharma statement about disputes and the king’s role.