Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24
को वा चित्रकथाबंधं वेत्ति संसारगोचरः । को वार्णवमहाग्राहं वेत्ति विद्यापरायणः
ko vā citrakathābaṃdhaṃ vetti saṃsāragocaraḥ | ko vārṇavamahāgrāhaṃ vetti vidyāparāyaṇaḥ
Who, moving within the range of saṃsāra, understands the intricate weaving of narratives? And who, devoted to learning, knows the mighty “seizer” within the ocean?
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced); continued interrogative tests
Scene: A vast ocean with a beautiful surface of painted stories (scroll-like waves) while beneath, a colossal unseen ‘grāha’ circles; a scholar holds manuscripts yet looks uncertain, contrasted with a meditator holding a rosary and steady gaze.
FAQs
Wisdom sees through the complexity of worldly stories and recognizes the deep forces that bind beings in saṃsāra.
None; the imagery is metaphorical rather than geographic.
None; it is part of an intellectual-spiritual examination to identify true vidyā.