Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35
कः कामेन न निर्जितस्त्रिजगतां पुष्पायुधेनाप्यहो कः क्रोधस्यवशंगतो ननच को लोभेन संमोहितः । योषिल्लोचनभल्लभिन्नहृदयः को नाप्तवानापदं को राज्यश्रियमाप्यनांधपदवीं यातोपि सल्लोचनः
kaḥ kāmena na nirjitastrijagatāṃ puṣpāyudhenāpyaho kaḥ krodhasyavaśaṃgato nanaca ko lobhena saṃmohitaḥ | yoṣillocanabhallabhinnahṛdayaḥ ko nāptavānāpadaṃ ko rājyaśriyamāpyanāṃdhapadavīṃ yātopi sallocanaḥ
Siapa yang tidak ditaklukkan oleh nafsu—oleh sang berpanah bunga yang menundukkan tiga dunia? Siapa yang tidak jatuh di bawah kuasa amarah, dan siapa pula yang tidak diperdaya oleh ketamakan? Hati siapa yang tertusuk panah pandang wanita tidak menemui celaka? Dan siapa, meski meraih kemuliaan kerajaan, tidak juga menempuh jalan kebutaan—padahal bermata?
Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa default dialogue frame)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A cosmic allegory: Kāma as a flower-weaponed archer aiming at beings of all stations; Krodha as a red storm seizing minds; Lobha as a net of gold coins; a king with a crown walks toward a dark pit labeled ‘andha-padavī’ despite open eyes; in the distance, Kāśī’s lamps offer a clear path.
FAQs
The great enemies—desire, anger, and greed—blind even the powerful; vigilance and self-mastery are essential for dharma.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is the overarching sacred setting in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa, though this verse itself is a universal ethical reflection.
None directly; the verse prescribes inner discipline: conquering kāma, krodha, and lobha.