Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
स ज्ञात्वा मानुषेणात्र भवितव्यमसंशयम् । न शून्याः पशवो रात्रौ स्थास्यंति विजने वने
sa jñātvā mānuṣeṇātra bhavitavyamasaṃśayam | na śūnyāḥ paśavo rātrau sthāsyaṃti vijane vane
เขารู้แน่ชัดว่า ณ ที่นี้ต้องมีมนุษย์อยู่ เพราะสัตว์ทั้งหลายยามราตรีในป่าเปลี่ยว ย่อมไม่คงอยู่โดยไร้ผู้เฝ้าดูแล
Sūta (deduced)
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijoत्तमāḥ (addressed audience: best of brāhmaṇas)
Scene: A solitary figure in a dark, sparse forest at night, watching a small herd; the animals cluster uneasily, suggesting an unseen human presence nearby; moonlight filters through trees.
FAQs
Dharma is recognized through signs: protection and order are inferred where fearlessness appears; guardianship is a moral expectation in society.
The forested kṣetra around Ajāgṛha, where the goats’ behavior signals a protected sacred zone.
None; it highlights the practical dharma of vigilance/protection rather than a formal rite.