Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 52
नावो न संति सेनाया बह्व्या वानरपुंगवाः । वणिजामुपघातं च कथमस्मद्विधश्चरेत्
nāvo na saṃti senāyā bahvyā vānarapuṃgavāḥ | vaṇijāmupaghātaṃ ca kathamasmadvidhaścaret
اے وانروں کے سردارو! اس عظیم لشکر کے لیے کافی کشتیاں نہیں۔ اور مجھ جیسا کیسے چلے کہ تاجروں کو بھی نقصان پہنچے؟
Rāma (addressing the Vānaras)
Tirtha: Setu (Rāma-setu) / Setubandha region
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣi/kingly interlocutor typical of māhātmya frames)
Scene: Rāma addresses the vānaras at the shore, surveying the vast host and the sea, rejecting inadequate boats and expressing concern for merchant harm; banners, rocks, and restless waves frame the deliberation.
FAQs
True dharma weighs consequences—victory must not be pursued through acts that harm innocents or disrupt public welfare.
The Setu coastal zone, presented as a living social space (with merchants and travel), later sanctified through Rāma’s dharmic action.
None; the focus is ethical restraint (ahiṃsā/anupaghāta) within righteous strategy.