Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95
नास्तिका भिन्नमर्यादा ये च विप्रस्य घातकाः । ते सर्वेऽत्र नरा नित्यमारुहंति पतंति च
nāstikā bhinnamaryādā ye ca viprasya ghātakāḥ | te sarve'tra narā nityamāruhaṃti pataṃti ca
نَاستک، حدودِ دھرم توڑنے والے، اور برہمن کو ایذا دینے والے—ایسے سب لوگ اسی مقام پر ہمیشہ چڑھتے اور گرتے رہتے ہیں، بار بار زوال کی تکلیف پاتے ہیں۔
Narratorial voice (Sūta implied by Māhātmya context)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A didactic tableau: a sacred precinct where impious figures attempt to ascend (symbolic ladders/steps) only to fall, while righteous pilgrims proceed steadily; a brāhmaṇa stands as dharma-witness.
FAQs
Disrespecting dharma—especially violence toward a Brāhmaṇa—causes repeated downfall; sacred places intensify moral consequences.
The verse belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
No ritual is prescribed here; it warns about ethical transgressions and their karmic results.