Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
चस्कन्द रेतः स्वप्नांते दृष्ट्वा कांचिद्वराप्सराम् । तारुण्यभावसंस्थस्य तपोयुक्तस्य सद्द्विजाः
caskanda retaḥ svapnāṃte dṛṣṭvā kāṃcidvarāpsarām | tāruṇyabhāvasaṃsthasya tapoyuktasya saddvijāḥ
Ô nobles deux-fois-nés, lorsqu'il vit une excellente apsara à la fin d'un rêve, la semence de cet ascète — qui était dans la fleur de la jeunesse mais dévoué à l'austérité — fut émise.
Sūta (deduced: Purāṇic narration to sages in a Māhātmya context)
Listener: dwijas ('सद्द्विजाः')
Scene: Night in the hermitage: an ascetic in youthful form sleeps; a luminous apsaras appears in a dream-vision above/near him. The scene conveys subtle temptation and the involuntary nature of the event, with moonlight and ethereal glow.
FAQs
Even the disciplined may face involuntary impulses; dharma narratives often show how consequences unfold and are later integrated into sacred history.
The larger episode belongs to the Yājñavalkya āśrama setting within the Tīrthamāhātmya of Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
No direct prescription; the verse describes an event connected to ascetic life (tapas).