Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32
तस्य भूपस्य रूपाढया मंथरास्ति विलासिनी । रात्रौ च कामिता तेन कामाढयेन सुकामिनी
tasya bhūpasya rūpāḍhayā maṃtharāsti vilāsinī | rātrau ca kāmitā tena kāmāḍhayena sukāminī
وكان لذلك الملك امرأةٌ مولعةٌ باللهو تُدعى مانثارا (Mantharā)، موفورةَ الجمال؛ وفي الليل كان يشتهيها، وهو فيضٌ من الشهوة، وهي كذلك متلهّفةٌ للمحبّة.
Sūta (narratorial voice, as typical in Māhātmya sections)
Scene: Night in the palace: the king with Mantharā, a graceful courtesan-like figure adorned with jewels, in a richly decorated chamber; the atmosphere is intimate and sensuous, foreshadowing moral complication.
FAQs
The Māhātmya narrative introduces desire as a force that can test dharma, preparing the ground for ethical consequences.
No site is directly praised in this verse; it functions as a narrative turn within the same tīrtha-centered chapter.
None; the verse is descriptive, setting up the storyline.