Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
ततः स कष्टमापन्नो लोहजंघो द्विजोत्तमाः । न प्राप्नोति क्वचिद्भिक्षां न च किंचित्प्रतिग्रहम्
tataḥ sa kaṣṭamāpanno lohajaṃgho dvijottamāḥ | na prāpnoti kvacidbhikṣāṃ na ca kiṃcitpratigraham
تب لوہاجنگھ سخت مصیبت میں پڑ گیا، اے بہترین دِویج! اسے کہیں بھی بھیک نہ ملی اور نہ ہی کوئی دان یا نذرانہ اسے حاصل ہوا۔
Sūta
Listener: dvijottamāḥ (addressed audience of brāhmaṇas)
Scene: A destitute brāhmaṇa Lohajaṅgha stands in a village street with an empty begging bowl; doors closed, hands turned away; his posture slumps under shame and hunger.
FAQs
Even the righteous may face severe scarcity; dharma is tested in adversity, setting the stage for grace and transformation.
The verse remains part of the Mukhāra Tīrtha-associated narrative arc, though it focuses on the human crisis.
No prescription; it notes the absence of bhikṣā (alms) and pratigraha (received gifts) due to distress.