Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38
कृत्वा मूत्रपुरीषं च जन्मभोगविवर्जितम् । नान्यज्जानाति कर्तव्यं धर्मं स्वोदरसं श्रयात्
kṛtvā mūtrapurīṣaṃ ca janmabhogavivarjitam | nānyajjānāti kartavyaṃ dharmaṃ svodarasaṃ śrayāt
வாழ்வை சிறுநீர்-மலம் என்ற அளவிற்கு தாழ்த்தி, பிறப்பின் நோக்கும் உயர்ந்த அனுபவமும் இன்றி, வயிற்றுக்காக மட்டுமே ‘தர்மம்’ என்று கருதி வேறு கடமையை அறியான்.
Unspecified (Nāgarakhaṇḍa narrative voice; admonitory dialogue context)
Scene: A stark didactic scene: a teacher points to the human body’s waste and warns against living only for the belly; the mood is renunciatory and corrective.
FAQs
Human birth should be used for dharma and higher aims, not reduced to bodily functions and mere survival.
No tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves as a moral framing within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.
None explicitly; it emphasizes inner orientation toward dharma rather than ritual detail.
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