Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30
प्रेता ऊचुः । याचमानस्य विप्रस्य लिखत्येष धरातले । नोत्तरं पठते किञ्चित्तेनासौ लेखकः स्मृतः
pretā ūcuḥ | yācamānasya viprasya likhatyeṣa dharātale | nottaraṃ paṭhate kiñcittenāsau lekhakaḥ smṛtaḥ
เหล่าเปรตกล่าวว่า “เมื่อพราหมณ์ผู้ขอทานมาขอ เขาผู้นี้เขียนลงบนพื้นดิน แต่ไม่อ่านคำตอบใด ๆ ออกมาเลย; เพราะเหตุนั้นจึงถูกจดจำว่า ‘เลขกะ’ ผู้เขียน”
Pretas
Tirtha: Prabhāsa
Type: kshetra
Listener: Gautama
Scene: A brāhmaṇa beggar stands with outstretched hand; a man crouches, scribbling on the earth dismissively, turning away without speaking. In the background, the same man appears as a preta, marked by the label ‘Lekhaka’.
FAQs
Mocking or evading a worthy request for aid—by empty gestures instead of real giving—becomes a karmic identity.
Prabhāsakṣetra provides the narrative frame; the verse itself focuses on dharma of giving rather than a sub-tīrtha name.
Implied prescription: respond properly to a brāhmaṇa’s request with fitting dāna, not evasive behavior.