Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37
स्मरन्विलसितं मिथ्या सत्याभासमिदं जगत् । अविद्यामयमित्येवं ज्ञात्वा मूकत्वमास्थितः
smaranvilasitaṃ mithyā satyābhāsamidaṃ jagat | avidyāmayamityevaṃ jñātvā mūkatvamāsthitaḥ
Indem ich mich an das Erlebte erinnerte, erkannte ich diese Welt als bloßes Spiel — unwahr, nur ein Schein von Wahrheit, aus Unwissenheit gewoben; so wissend, nahm ich das Schweigen an.
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.