Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1
। मेनकोवाच । अन्यास्ता नायिका विप्र यासां धर्मस्त्वयोदितः । स्वेच्छाचारविहारिण्यो वयं वेश्या दिवौकसाम्
| menakovāca | anyāstā nāyikā vipra yāsāṃ dharmastvayoditaḥ | svecchācāravihāriṇyo vayaṃ veśyā divaukasām
Menakā said: “O brāhmaṇa, those other heroines whose code of dharma you have described are different from us. We, however, wander as we please; we are courtesans of the celestial beings.”
Menakā
Type: kshetra
Listener: brāhmaṇa (unnamed)
Scene: Menakā speaks to a brāhmaṇa, poised and confident, with celestial elegance; the tīrtha landscape frames their dialogue—riverbank, shrine, and pilgrims.
FAQs
The verse frames a contrast between stated dharma and indulgent freedom, setting up a moral test where restraint is measured against temptation.
The broader passage belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the precise tīrtha is not named in this verse alone.
None directly; it introduces a dialogue that typically leads to teachings on vows, purity, and conduct at a sacred place.
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