Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37
स्मरन्विलसितं मिथ्या सत्याभासमिदं जगत् । अविद्यामयमित्येवं ज्ञात्वा मूकत्वमास्थितः
smaranvilasitaṃ mithyā satyābhāsamidaṃ jagat | avidyāmayamityevaṃ jñātvā mūkatvamāsthitaḥ
وإذ تذكّرتُ ما مضى، أدركتُ أن هذا العالم ليس إلا لعبًا—باطلًا، مجردَ شبهِ حقيقةٍ منسوجٍ من الجهل؛ فلما علمتُ ذلك لزمتُ الصمت.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa convention)
Scene: A jātismara youth sits motionless in contemplative silence, eyes half-closed, while the bustling world around appears like a theatrical play—figures blurred or mask-like—signifying satyābhāsa and avidyā.
FAQs
Insight into the world’s illusory, ignorance-born nature fosters detachment and the discipline of silence (mouna).
No single tīrtha is named; the verse is a philosophical reflection arising within the Śaiva māhātmya narrative.
A discipline rather than a rite: adopting silence (mouna) as a spiritual practice rooted in discernment.