Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
यो जंतूनात्मपुष्ट्यर्थं हिनस्ति ज्ञानदुर्बलः । दुराचारस्य तस्येह नामुत्रापि सुखं क्वचित्
yo jaṃtūnātmapuṣṭyarthaṃ hinasti jñānadurbalaḥ | durācārasya tasyeha nāmutrāpi sukhaṃ kvacit
ผู้ใดอ่อนกำลังในปัญญา แล้วเบียดเบียนสรรพชีวิตเพียงเพื่อหล่อเลี้ยงกายตน ผู้นั้นเป็นผู้ประพฤติชั่ว ย่อมไม่พบสุขเลย ทั้งในโลกนี้และในโลกหน้า
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A moral allegory: a man harms an animal for food; the scene splits into two outcomes—on one side, present-life unrest and social disgrace; on the other, a bleak post-mortem path—while Kāśī’s luminous temple skyline stands as the alternative path of compassion.
FAQs
Self-centered violence destroys well-being in both worlds; true dharma is rooted in compassion and discernment.
The teaching is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī framework, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.
No ritual is prescribed; it is an ethical prohibition against harming beings for bodily gratification.