Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 149
कन्योवाच । संसारांतः प्रसुप्तस्य कीटस्यापि प्ररोचते । स्त्रीशरीरं नरस्यात्र किं पुनर्न विवेकिनः
kanyovāca | saṃsārāṃtaḥ prasuptasya kīṭasyāpi prarocate | strīśarīraṃ narasyātra kiṃ punarna vivekinaḥ
La jeune fille dit : «Même un ver, assoupi dans la fange du saṃsāra, trouve quelque chose qui lui plaît. Ainsi, en ce monde, le corps d’une femme paraît séduisant à l’homme — combien plus à celui qui manque de discernement !»
Kanyā (the maiden/daughter)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A maiden speaks with sharp clarity to a sage or assembly; in a symbolic vignette, a worm in mud is shown as an allegory of saṃsāric complacency.
FAQs
Desire arises easily in saṃsāra; therefore one should cultivate viveka (discernment) to avoid being led by mere attraction.
This verse occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting, but this specific line is a moral reflection rather than direct praise of a named tīrtha.
No explicit ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse.