किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि को मे साहाय्यमर्पयेत् । बुद्धेरपि वनस्थस्य शरणं कं व्रजामि च
kiṃ karomi kva gacchāmi ko me sāhāyyamarpayet | buddherapi vanasthasya śaraṇaṃ kaṃ vrajāmi ca
«Que ferai-je ? Où irai-je ? Qui m’offrira son aide ? Ici, dans la forêt, même mon discernement chancelle ; vers qui donc irai-je chercher refuge ?»
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda to Agastya)
Scene: A lone student in a shadowed forest, hands raised in questioning or folded in half-prayer, eyes searching the sky or the path, conveying helplessness and the dawning impulse to surrender.
When anxiety overwhelms the intellect, one should seek true refuge—guidance rooted in dharma rather than panic.
The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context implies Kāśī’s sanctity, but this line is an inner lament, not a site description.
None explicitly; it is a psychological and ethical turning-point in the narrative.