Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 68
वर्षाणि च शतान्यष्टौ प्राप्नोति यमयातनाम् । तस्मादल्पतरो दोषः पिबतो मे स्तनं तव
varṣāṇi ca śatānyaṣṭau prāpnoti yamayātanām | tasmādalpataro doṣaḥ pibato me stanaṃ tava
เขาต้องเสวยทัณฑ์ทรมานของพระยมอยู่แปดร้อยปี เพราะฉะนั้น โทษย่อมน้อยกว่า หากท่านดื่มน้ำนมจากอกของข้า
Unspecified female speaker (a devī/strī figure persuading a brāhmaṇa to nurse a child)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu (contextual)
Type: river
Listener: Bhārata (addressed later as ‘O Bhārata’)
Scene: A distressed mother-figure speaks urgently to a brāhmaṇa, warning of Yama’s punishments and urging an act framed as the lesser fault; the setting hints at a riverine hermitage near Revā.
FAQs
When dharma is complex, one should choose the course that minimizes harm and supports life, recognizing the gravity of karmic consequence.
Not explicitly; the verse belongs to Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā-region teaching narrative.
None as a formal rite; the verse argues ethically for an action framed as the ‘lesser fault’ in context.