Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 74
धार्मिकः पूज्यते तत्र पापः पाशगलो भवेत् । धार्मिकश्च यथा याति तं मार्गं शृणु वच्मि ते
dhārmikaḥ pūjyate tatra pāpaḥ pāśagalo bhavet | dhārmikaśca yathā yāti taṃ mārgaṃ śṛṇu vacmi te
Doon, ang matuwid ay pinararangalan, samantalang ang makasalanan ay nagiging nakagapos sa lubid na silo (pāśa). Ngayon, pakinggan mo sa akin kung paano naglalakbay ang dhārmika sa landas na iyon.
Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative style)
Listener: a sage/audience (contextual)
Scene: Two contrasted processions: a dhārmika honored with respectful attendants and open path; a pāpī bound by a noose, dragged aside. The narrator gestures, promising to describe the righteous path.
FAQs
Dharma brings dignity and protection even beyond death, while pāpa results in bondage and humiliation.
None; the verse transitions to describing the righteous person’s path rather than a location’s māhātmya.
No single rite is stated; it introduces the topic of merits that ease the path, expanded in subsequent verses.