Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49
कथं स्वर्गो मुमुक्षा वा साध्यते दृषदा यथा । क्रोधो वा यदि संत्याज्यस्ततः शत्रुक्षयः कथम्
kathaṃ svargo mumukṣā vā sādhyate dṛṣadā yathā | krodho vā yadi saṃtyājyastataḥ śatrukṣayaḥ katham
Wie kann der Himmel — ja selbst das Sehnen nach Mokṣa — erreicht werden, als ginge es mit einem bloßen Stein? Und wenn der Zorn wahrhaft aufgegeben werden muss, wie soll dann die Vernichtung der Feinde zustande kommen?
Unspecified questioner (prior to 'Bāla uvāca' in v.53; likely the listener raising doubts)
Listener: Youthful teacher (Kaumāra/Skanda-figure)
Scene: A warrior-seeker stands at a crossroads: one path to a luminous shrine (mokṣa), another to a battlefield; a calm teacher indicates a middle way—action without anger—while a dark red figure of Krodha tries to seize the warrior.
FAQs
It voices a common doubt: renouncing anger seems to conflict with worldly aims like overcoming adversaries.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is part of a philosophical-ethical inquiry.
None; the focus is on the practical tension between inner virtue and worldly action.