Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 48
सोपसर्गं निजं देशं त्यक्त्वा योन्यत्र न व्रजेत् । स पंगुर्नाशमाप्नोति कूलस्थित इव द्रुमः
sopasargaṃ nijaṃ deśaṃ tyaktvā yonyatra na vrajet | sa paṃgurnāśamāpnoti kūlasthita iva drumaḥ
Kẻ nào bỏ xứ mình khi tai ương vây phủ mà lại chẳng đi nơi khác, kẻ ấy hóa như tàn phế và chuốc lấy diệt vong—như cây đứng trên bờ sông đang bị xói lở.
Pārāvatī (female pigeon) to her mate (pārāvata) within Skanda’s narration to Agastya
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (contextual)
Type: river
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame, typical)
Scene: A vivid metaphor: a tree stands on a crumbling riverbank, roots exposed as the current eats away the soil—symbolizing the ‘crippled’ one who neither stays safely nor goes elsewhere.
FAQs
Half-measures in the face of danger lead to downfall; dharma requires clarity, decisive action, and timely movement toward safety.
The teaching occurs within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s Kāśī-māhātmya context, though no particular tīrtha is named in this verse.
None; it offers a moral analogy rather than a rite.