करींदः स्वयमभ्येति तत्कुचाभौ समुद्वहन् । कुम्भौ गत्वा तु पृच्छामि यदि शंसति तां प्रियाम्
karīṃdaḥ svayamabhyeti tatkucābhau samudvahan | kumbhau gatvā tu pṛcchāmi yadi śaṃsati tāṃ priyām
يُقبلُ فيلٌ من تلقاءِ نفسه، حاملاً كُرتينِ جبهيّتَين كأنهما ثدياها. فأدنو من هاتين «الكُمبهَين» وأسأله: هل يستطيع أن يدلّني على حبيبتي؟
Narrator (unnamed male speaker within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative)
Scene: An elephant approaches, its frontal globes likened to the beloved’s breasts; the distraught lover steps toward it, questioning it as if it could guide him.
Delusion can project the beloved onto anything seen; spiritual discipline steadies perception and ends compulsive projection.
No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves the ongoing māhātmya narrative.
None.