Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14
अराजके नृपश्रेष्ठ मात्स्यो न्यायः प्रवर्तते । राष्ट्रे चैव पुरे चैव ग्रामे चैव विशेषतः
arājake nṛpaśreṣṭha mātsyo nyāyaḥ pravartate | rāṣṭre caiva pure caiva grāme caiva viśeṣataḥ
“اے بہترین بادشاہ! جب حاکم نہ ہو تو ‘ماتسیہ نیائے’ یعنی مچھلی کا قانون چل پڑتا ہے—سارے راج میں، شہروں میں، اور خاص طور پر دیہات میں۔”
Counsellors/subjects (contextual)
Scene: A didactic tableau: counselors describe chaos in city and village if no king rules—scenes of disorder contrasted with the calm hermitage where the king sits.
FAQs
Righteous governance is itself a form of dharma; without it, exploitation replaces justice.
None directly; the verse provides dharma-śāstra style teaching within the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.
No ritual; it teaches political-dharma (rāja-dharma) as a safeguard for society.