Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24
को वा चित्रकथाबंधं वेत्ति संसारगोचरः । को वार्णवमहाग्राहं वेत्ति विद्यापरायणः
ko vā citrakathābaṃdhaṃ vetti saṃsāragocaraḥ | ko vārṇavamahāgrāhaṃ vetti vidyāparāyaṇaḥ
Qui, évoluant dans le domaine du saṃsāra, comprend l’entrelacs subtil des récits ? Et qui, voué à la connaissance, connaît le puissant « saisisseur » au sein de l’océan ?
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced); continued interrogative tests
Scene: A vast ocean with a beautiful surface of painted stories (scroll-like waves) while beneath, a colossal unseen ‘grāha’ circles; a scholar holds manuscripts yet looks uncertain, contrasted with a meditator holding a rosary and steady gaze.
FAQs
Wisdom sees through the complexity of worldly stories and recognizes the deep forces that bind beings in saṃsāra.
None; the imagery is metaphorical rather than geographic.
None; it is part of an intellectual-spiritual examination to identify true vidyā.