Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81
न सम्यग्वेत्ति तं कश्चिज्जानानोपि प्रतारितः । किं बहूक्तेन तनये समस्त नयशालिनि
na samyagvetti taṃ kaścijjānānopi pratāritaḥ | kiṃ bahūktena tanaye samasta nayaśālini
Nul ne Le connaît vraiment; même ceux qui croient Le connaître sont trompés par l’illusion. À quoi bon tant de paroles, ô fille douée de tout discernement ?
A householder/elder (contextual speaker addressing a daughter; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Tanayā (addressed as ‘daughter’), a discerning female interlocutor
Scene: A contemplative dialogue in Kāśī: a wise speaker addressing a discerning ‘daughter’, with the unseen presence of Viśveśvara—suggesting the Lord’s mystery through empty space, lamp-light, and the hush of a shrine corridor.
FAQs
Śiva transcends ordinary understanding; humility and true discernment are praised over mere claims of knowledge.
The broader setting is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where Śiva’s greatness is celebrated.
No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it is a doctrinal statement about knowledge and delusion.