Shloka 22
Duryodhana Seized by Citraseṇa; Kaurava Petition to Yudhiṣṭhira (दुर्योधनापहारः / चित्रसेनगन्धर्वग्रहणम्)
स्कन्द उवाच यावत् षोडश वर्षाणि भवन्ति तरुणा: प्रजा: । प्रबाधत मनुष्याणां तावद्रूपै: पृथग्विधै:,स्कन्द बोले--संसारके मनुष्य जबतक सोलह वर्षके तरुण न हो जायूँ, तबतक आप मानव-प्रजाको पृथक्-पृथक् उतने ही रूप धारण करके संताप दे सकती हैं
Skanda uvāca—yāvat ṣoḍaśa varṣāṇi bhavanti taruṇāḥ prajāḥ | prabādhata manuṣyāṇāṃ tāvad rūpaiḥ pṛthagvidhaiḥ ||
Skanda said: “So long as human offspring have not yet reached sixteen years and become youthful, you may afflict mankind during that period by assuming as many different forms as you wish.”
स्कन्द उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical boundary around vulnerability: those not yet mature (up to sixteen years) are seen as especially susceptible, and the passage highlights the need for restraint and protective norms regarding the young.
Skanda issues a directive/permission concerning how long and in what manner humans may be troubled—allowing affliction through diverse assumed forms only until people reach the threshold of youth at sixteen.