Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 66
लूतासु चैव सर्पेषु महिष्यादिषु वै तथा । जंतवः सदृशा विप्राः सूक्ष्मेषु च महत्सु च
lūtāsu caiva sarpeṣu mahiṣyādiṣu vai tathā | jaṃtavaḥ sadṛśā viprāḥ sūkṣmeṣu ca mahatsu ca
“مکڑیوں میں بھی اور سانپوں میں بھی، اور اسی طرح بھینس وغیرہ میں بھی—اے وِپرَو (برہمنو)، جاندار چھوٹے ہوں یا بڑے، سب یکساں ہیں۔”
The king (continuing)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇas
Scene: The king’s teaching is illustrated by juxtaposing tiny creatures (spider, worm) with large animals (buffalo), all placed under the same protective aura; brāhmaṇas appear reflective, their earlier certainty challenged.
FAQs
The moral worth of life is not measured by size or usefulness; ahiṃsā must embrace even the smallest beings.
Dharmāraṇya is the setting; the passage glorifies dharma as universal compassion rather than a specific pilgrimage act.
No ritual is stated; it teaches a comprehensive ethic of non-harm.