Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 65, Shloka 23
Adhyaya 65 — Svarocis Enjoys on the Mountain; A Debate on Marital Fidelity and Desire
नाहं स्वरोचिस्तच्छीलो न चैवाहं सुलोचनाः ।
निर्लज्जा बहवः सन्ति तादृशास्तत्र गच्छतः ॥
nāhaṃ svarocis tacchīlo na caivāhaṃ sulocanāḥ |
nirlajjā bahavaḥ santi tādṛśās tatra gacchataḥ ||
मैं न स्वरोचि हूँ, न वैसा ही; और न मैं सुनेत्राओं के लिए (उपयुक्त) हूँ। बहुत से निर्लज्ज लोग हैं—उन्हीं के पास जाओ।
FAQs
The verse distinguishes character from mere attractiveness: virtue refuses participation in shameless pursuit and points out that vice is plentiful—hence one must choose company carefully.
Not pañcalakṣaṇa; didactic nīti within a narrative exemplum.
‘Not of that type’ emphasizes svabhāva; spiritual progress depends on cultivating a sattvic identity that does not imitate lower patterns even when invited.