Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6
अधमा मर्त्यलोकेत्र रमंते विषयात्मकाः । विषकीटकवत्तत्र रतिं कृत्वा गरीयसीम्
adhamā martyaloketra ramaṃte viṣayātmakāḥ | viṣakīṭakavattatra ratiṃ kṛtvā garīyasīm
Die Niedrigen, in Sinnesobjekte versunken, ergötzen sich hier in der sterblichen Welt. Wie Insekten, die vom Gift angezogen werden, bilden sie dort eine überaus starke Anhaftung.
Ṛṣayaḥ (continuing their statement/contextual framing)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame)
Scene: A moral allegory: people in a bustling mortal city chase glittering sense-objects; nearby, insects swarm toward a luminous but toxic flower/nectar, symbolizing fatal attraction; a calm ascetic points toward a distant temple/kshetra path.
FAQs
Worldly attachment can be self-destructive; the text urges discernment and a turn toward dharma and higher goals.
None is named in this verse; it provides ethical contrast that supports the chapter’s tīrtha-oriented teaching.
No ritual is prescribed here; it is a warning against excessive viṣaya-attachment.