Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 9
को हि प्रज्ञावतां मुख्यः सर्वशास्त्रविदांवरः । स्त्रीणां शरणमापद्येदृजुर्बुद्धिर्यथा भवान्
ko hi prajñāvatāṃ mukhyaḥ sarvaśāstravidāṃvaraḥ | strīṇāṃ śaraṇamāpadyedṛjurbuddhiryathā bhavān
Who indeed—being the foremost among the wise and the best among knowers of all śāstras—would take refuge in women, as you have done, though you are famed for straightforward understanding?
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.