Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
पुस्तकं चैव युष्माकं चिन्तनीयं सदैव तत् । भवद्भिर्यत्नमास्थाय दृश्यतां क्वापि पुस्तकम्
pustakaṃ caiva yuṣmākaṃ cintanīyaṃ sadaiva tat | bhavadbhiryatnamāsthāya dṛśyatāṃ kvāpi pustakam
“وہ کتاب تو تمہاری ہی ہے؛ اس کا خیال ہمیشہ رکھنا چاہیے۔ تم کوشش کر کے کہیں نہ کہیں اسے ڈھونڈ کر دیکھو۔”
Sūta (narrated speech within the story; likely Pauṇḍraka’s evasive counsel)
Scene: Pauṇḍraka gestures outward as if organizing a search, while the hidden manuscript remains with him; friends look worried and attentive.
FAQs
Evasion and misdirection compound wrongdoing; dharma emphasizes straightforward truth rather than clever deflection.
Not directly named in this verse; it remains part of the Adhyāya 58 tīrtha-centered narrative arc.
None; it narrates the social situation leading toward oath-taking and karmic repercussion.