Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58
स कदाचिन्मृगयुभिः पापर्धि व्यसनातुरः । सार्धं विवेशारण्यानि गृष्टिपृष्ठानुगो हयी
sa kadācinmṛgayubhiḥ pāpardhi vyasanāturaḥ | sārdhaṃ viveśāraṇyāni gṛṣṭipṛṣṭhānugo hayī
Una vez, afligido por el vicio del pecado de la caza, entró en los bosques junto con los cazadores, montado en un caballo que seguía de cerca tras la manada.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Scene: A dynamic forest hunt: King Durdama on horseback with hunters, dogs, and bows; startled deer flee; dust rises; the king’s face shows agitation and vice; the forest appears dense and shadowed, hinting at impending karmic reversal.
FAQs
Addictions rooted in harm (like cruel hunting) are framed as sin-increasing habits that propel one toward downfall—until grace intervenes.
The verse is part of the approach to Kāśī’s sacred woodland setting that will reveal its transforming power.
None stated; the verse describes conduct (vyasana) rather than prescribing a rite.