Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4
अज्ञानतिमिरान्धा ये पुमांसः पापकारिणः । युष्मद्विधैर्दीपभूतैः पश्यन्ति सचराचरम्
ajñānatimirāndhā ye pumāṃsaḥ pāpakāriṇaḥ | yuṣmadvidhairdīpabhūtaiḥ paśyanti sacarācaram
Les hommes aveuglés par les ténèbres de l’ignorance et portés au péché peuvent voir le monde entier—mobile et immobile—uniquement parce que des sages tels que vous demeurent comme des lampes de lumière.
Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmaputra), addressing Mārkaṇḍeya
Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya
Scene: A symbolic tableau: people stumbling in a dark landscape of ignorance, while a sage stands holding a lamp; the light reveals beings and objects—moving and unmoving—signifying awakened perception.
FAQs
Sages and realized teachers dispel ignorance; their guidance enables moral clarity and right vision.
This verse is a general praise of saintly guidance within the Revā Khaṇḍa context; no single tīrtha is explicitly named in this line.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on the merit of seeking guidance from the wise.