Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 86
कथं धर्मच्छलेनास्मिन्निमज्जेयमसाधुवत् । पितुराज्ञा परो धर्मो ह्यधर्मो मातृरक्षणम्
kathaṃ dharmacchalenāsminnimajjeyamasādhuvat | piturājñā paro dharmo hyadharmo mātṛrakṣaṇam
‘دھرم’ کے بہانے میں یہاں کیسے بدکرداری میں ڈوب جاؤں؟ باپ کی اطاعت کو اعلیٰ دھرم کہا گیا ہے؛ مگر اگر یوں سمجھا جائے تو ماں کی حفاظت ‘ادھرم’ ٹھہرے گی۔
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating Cirakārī’s reasoning (deduced)
Scene: The protagonist raises a hand as if stopping himself, eyes sharp with self-questioning; behind him a shadowy figure labeled ‘dharma’ tries to pull him toward a dark act, while a luminous maternal figure symbolizes protection.
FAQs
One must not commit sin by masking it as ‘dharma’; true righteousness demands honest discernment, not convenient justification.
No tīrtha is praised; the focus is on dharma-vicāra and the danger of ‘dharma’ used as a cover for harm.
None—this verse is philosophical-ethical, not ritual.