Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20
न तोयगृध्नून्न शिशून्नांतर्वर्त्नित्वलक्षणान् । स घातयति धर्मज्ञो जातिधर्मपराङ्मुखः
na toyagṛdhnūnna śiśūnnāṃtarvartnitvalakṣaṇān | sa ghātayati dharmajño jātidharmaparāṅmukhaḥ
دھرم کو جاننے والا نہ پانی کے لیے تڑپنے والوں کو مارتا ہے، نہ بچوں کو، نہ حمل کی علامت رکھنے والوں کو؛ وہ ایسی پست، نوعی ظلمت سے منہ موڑ لیتا ہے۔
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ethical perimeter of the holy city)
Type: kshetra
Scene: At a small forest waterhole, animals bend to drink; a hunter recognizes their thirst and lowers his weapon. Nearby, a fawn and a visibly pregnant doe are spared; the scene radiates moral clarity.
FAQs
Dharma requires mercy toward the vulnerable; righteousness is measured by restraint, not power.
The Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting frames this as conduct befitting the sacred environs and pilgrimage routes of Kāśī.
None; the verse gives moral prohibitions protecting vulnerable beings.