Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 70
ततोऽविनीतस्तां वीक्ष्य भद्र गालववल्लभाम् । अहमासं शरव्रातैस्ताडितः पुष्पधन्विना । विवेकिनोऽपि मुनयस्तावदेव विवेकिनः
tato'vinītastāṃ vīkṣya bhadra gālavavallabhām | ahamāsaṃ śaravrātaistāḍitaḥ puṣpadhanvinā | vivekino'pi munayastāvadeva vivekinaḥ
Alors, le cœur indiscipliné, en voyant cette jeune fille de bon augure—chérie de Gālava—je fus frappé par des volées de flèches lancées par Celui à l’arc de fleurs, Kāma. Même les sages doués de discernement ne le demeurent que jusqu’à un certain point.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating within Māheśvara-khaṇḍa to the sages (deduced)
Listener: Addressed as 'bhadra' (auspicious one), listener unspecified in the excerpt
Scene: A man (narrator figure) sees the maiden and is metaphorically struck by Kāma’s flower-arrows; Kāma may appear as a subtle divine archer with sugarcane bow, floral arrows; the victim’s face shows sudden inner turmoil.
FAQs
Unchecked desire can overpower even cultivated discernment; discipline and vigilance are essential to dharma.
No tīrtha is directly praised in this verse; it functions as moral-narrative instruction within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa.
No explicit rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is ethical—restraint and guarding the mind.