Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 9
को हि प्रज्ञावतां मुख्यः सर्वशास्त्रविदांवरः । स्त्रीणां शरणमापद्येदृजुर्बुद्धिर्यथा भवान्
ko hi prajñāvatāṃ mukhyaḥ sarvaśāstravidāṃvaraḥ | strīṇāṃ śaraṇamāpadyedṛjurbuddhiryathā bhavān
Wer wohl, als Erster unter den Weisen und Bester unter den Kennern aller Śāstras, würde bei Frauen Zuflucht suchen, wie du es getan hast, obgleich du für geradlinige Einsicht berühmt bist?
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced; Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: The speaker challenges the king’s reliance on ‘women’ as refuge; the scene is tense—some courtiers look uneasy, the king appears conflicted and ashamed.
FAQs
Discernment (viveka) is urged: one should not abandon śāstric clarity and self-mastery by seeking refuge in what is portrayed here as deluding attachment.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is primarily an ethical-philosophical admonition within the Māheśvara narrative.
None; the verse focuses on counsel about discernment and conduct.