Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20
भद्रजात्या गजा ये मे मदान्धाः षष्टिहायनाः । मया विना मिथो युद्धे कस्तानद्य नियोक्ष्यति
bhadrajātyā gajā ye me madāndhāḥ ṣaṣṭihāyanāḥ | mayā vinā mitho yuddhe kastānadya niyokṣyati
എന്റെ ഭദ്രജാതിയായ ആനകൾ—മദത്തിൽ അന്ധരായി, അറുപത് വയസ്സുള്ളവർ—പരസ്പരം യുദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ, ഇന്ന് എന്നില്ലാതെ അവരെ ആര് നിയന്ത്രിച്ച് നിയോഗിക്കും?
Narrator (contextual; the afflicted person’s lament within the narration)
Scene: A ruler laments about his noble, rut-maddened sixty-year-old elephants; in the background, massive elephants clash, mahouts absent, dust rising—symbol of uncontrolled power without rightful guidance.
FAQs
Power and resources demand stewardship; when capability is lost, the weight of responsibility becomes clear—pushing the seeker toward dharmic restoration and right guidance.
No specific tīrtha is referenced in this verse.
None; the verse focuses on duty and the practical consequences of incapacity.