Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49
किं नास्ति वात्र भूपालो येनैतदसमंजसम् । ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण निर्दोषस्य महाजनाः
kiṃ nāsti vātra bhūpālo yenaitadasamaṃjasam | brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa nirdoṣasya mahājanāḥ
‘ที่นี่ไม่มีพระราชาหรือ จึงปล่อยให้ความอยุติธรรมเช่นนี้เกิดขึ้น? โอ้ท่านมหาชน โดยเฉพาะต่อพราหมณ์ผู้บริสุทธิ์ไร้โทษ!’
Puṣpa (addressing the gathered people; inferred)
Scene: The brāhmaṇa, supported by helpers, addresses the gathered ‘mahājanas’ with a forceful question about the absence of a king; the crowd turns as if toward a palace or court, anticipating judgment.
FAQs
Rulers are guardians of dharma; permitting injustice—especially toward the blameless—undermines social and spiritual order.
The teaching occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative space of Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse highlights rājadharma (kingly duty) as a moral imperative.