Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 150
व्यवहारानुरूपेण न्यायेन तु यदर्जनम् । क्षत्रियस्य पयस्तेन प्रजापालनतो भवेत्
vyavahārānurūpeṇa nyāyena tu yadarjanam | kṣatriyasya payastena prajāpālanato bhavet
Bất cứ điều gì một Kṣatriya thu được bằng lẽ công, hợp với phép tắc giao dịch—chính nhờ đó ‘sữa’ của người ấy, tức nguồn nuôi sống chính đáng, phát sinh từ việc hộ trì muôn dân.
Skanda
Listener: Audience concerned with dharma in Kāśī (including rulers/householders)
Scene: A Kṣatriya-king in Kāśī holds court beneath a canopy near the riverfront, hearing disputes with a calm judge-like posture; behind him, guards protect pilgrims moving toward temples—symbolizing ‘milk’ as sustenance earned by protection.
FAQs
For rulers, legitimate livelihood is grounded in justice and the duty of protecting society.
Kāśī is the contextual sacred realm where even political power is subordinated to dharma.
No specific rite; the prescription is ethical: earn only by just conduct, rooted in protecting the people.