Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
पुस्तकं चैव युष्माकं चिन्तनीयं सदैव तत् । भवद्भिर्यत्नमास्थाय दृश्यतां क्वापि पुस्तकम्
pustakaṃ caiva yuṣmākaṃ cintanīyaṃ sadaiva tat | bhavadbhiryatnamāsthāya dṛśyatāṃ kvāpi pustakam
“ఆ పుస్తకం మీదే; దాని గురించి ఎల్లప్పుడూ ఆలోచించాలి. మీరు శ్రమపడి ప్రయత్నించి ఎక్కడైనా ఆ పుస్తకాన్ని వెతికి చూడండి.”
Sūta (narrated speech within the story; likely Pauṇḍraka’s evasive counsel)
Scene: Pauṇḍraka gestures outward as if organizing a search, while the hidden manuscript remains with him; friends look worried and attentive.
FAQs
Evasion and misdirection compound wrongdoing; dharma emphasizes straightforward truth rather than clever deflection.
Not directly named in this verse; it remains part of the Adhyāya 58 tīrtha-centered narrative arc.
None; it narrates the social situation leading toward oath-taking and karmic repercussion.