Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
नैषा वसुमती विप्र समुद्रेण विनाकृता । राजते वस्तुसंत्यक्ता यथा नारी विभूषिता
naiṣā vasumatī vipra samudreṇa vinākṛtā | rājate vastusaṃtyaktā yathā nārī vibhūṣitā
Ô brāhmane, cette terre, privée de l’océan, ne resplendit pas ; dépouillée de son trésor essentiel, elle est comme une femme parée, mais sans ce qui l’accomplit vraiment.
Devas (continuing appeal to the sage)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (implied)
Scene: A poetic tableau: Earth as a regal woman adorned yet incomplete without the ocean; the empty coastline looks pale and diminished, awaiting the return of waves to restore her radiance.
FAQs
Dharma values wholeness and harmony: the world’s beauty depends on the proper place of each cosmic element.
The oceanic realm is emphasized as a sacred and necessary component of the world’s tīrtha-landscape.
None; the verse uses metaphor to argue for restoring the ocean.