Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40
यथायथा स कौतुक्याद्वीक्षते यौवनाश्रितः । कौतुक्यात्तेन च ततस्तस्या वक्त्रं निरीक्षितम्
yathāyathā sa kautukyādvīkṣate yauvanāśritaḥ | kautukyāttena ca tatastasyā vaktraṃ nirīkṣitam
Et tandis que, poussé par la passion de la jeunesse sous le couvert de la curiosité, il regardait de plus en plus, c'est par cette même « curiosité » qu'il posa ensuite les yeux sur son visage.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ (best of brāhmaṇas) addressed in surrounding narration
Scene: A young man repeatedly glances at a woman, first from a distance, then daring to look directly at her face—his ‘curiosity’ masking desire; the moment is tense, quiet, and morally charged.
FAQs
Dharma requires inner discipline; desire often disguises itself as harmless curiosity and grows by repeated indulgence.
No site is named in this verse; it is part of the moral narrative embedded in the chapter’s tīrtha-context.
None; the verse highlights psychological and ethical deterioration rather than ritual.