Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38
एवंविधोऽपि सोऽतीवविरूपोऽपि सुदुर्मतिः । प्रार्थयामास वै कन्यां स्वजात्यां वीक्ष्य सुंदरीम्
evaṃvidho'pi so'tīvavirūpo'pi sudurmatiḥ | prārthayāmāsa vai kanyāṃ svajātyāṃ vīkṣya suṃdarīm
مع أنّه كان على تلك الحال—قبيحًا غاية القبح وسيّئ النية—فإنه لما رأى جمال الفتاة سعى لخطبة عذراء من قومه وطبقته نفسها.
Narrator (contextual; within Nāgarakhaṇḍa narrative)
Scene: Maṇibhadra, disfigured yet intent, gazes upon a beautiful maiden of his own community; the contrast between his ugliness and her radiance creates narrative irony and tension.
FAQs
Desire and entitlement can persist even in the unrighteous; dharma evaluates character, not merely social matching.
No holy site is named in this specific verse.
None; the verse advances the storyline concerning a marriage request.