Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78
प्रजाविरहितो राजा कोशदुर्गबलादिभिः । समृद्धोप्यचिरान्नश्येत्कूलसंस्थ इव द्रुमः
prajāvirahito rājā kośadurgabalādibhiḥ | samṛddhopyacirānnaśyetkūlasaṃstha iva drumaḥ
جو بادشاہ رعایا سے خالی ہو—اگرچہ خزانہ، قلعے، لشکر وغیرہ سے مالا مال ہو—وہ جلد فنا ہو جاتا ہے، جیسے کٹتے ہوئے دریا کنارے پر کھڑا درخت۔
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Gaṅgā-taṭa)
Type: ghat
Scene: A strong tree on a riverbank with soil collapsing into the current; nearby, a fortified city and armed troops appear useless as the ground gives way—symbolizing prajā-less kingship.
FAQs
Power structures cannot replace dharmic care for people; neglect of subjects leads to inevitable downfall.
No direct tīrtha reference; it is an ethical maxim situated within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa context.
None; it is a political-ethical teaching framed in Purāṇic dharma.