Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 94
यदेके स्थावराः कीटाः पतंगा मानुषादिकाः । तस्मान्मित्या परित्यज्य नंदभद्र यथासुखम् । पिब क्रीडनकैः सार्धं भोगान्सत्यमिदं भुवि
yadeke sthāvarāḥ kīṭāḥ pataṃgā mānuṣādikāḥ | tasmānmityā parityajya naṃdabhadra yathāsukham | piba krīḍanakaiḥ sārdhaṃ bhogānsatyamidaṃ bhuvi
Puisque les uns sont des êtres immobiles, les autres des insectes, les autres des oiseaux, et d’autres encore des humains et ainsi de suite—alors, ô Nandabhadra, renonce à ces « notions mensongères » et, selon ton bon plaisir, bois et jouis des délices avec tes compagnons de jeu. Cela seul est la vérité sur la terre.
Unspecified in snippet (addressing Nandabhadra; likely the same disputant continuing a hedonistic argument)
Listener: Nandabhadra
Scene: A tempter-like adviser addressing Nandabhadra: gestures toward wine-cup, companions, and pleasures; the moral tension is visible—one voice urging indulgence, the other poised for dharmic reply.
FAQs
It voices a pleasure-centered worldview, which the narrative context uses to contrast and ultimately uphold dharma.
No tīrtha is praised in this verse; it is part of a moral-philosophical dialogue.
No dhārmic rite is prescribed; instead it urges drinking and enjoyment, presented as an opposing viewpoint.