Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 9
को हि प्रज्ञावतां मुख्यः सर्वशास्त्रविदांवरः । स्त्रीणां शरणमापद्येदृजुर्बुद्धिर्यथा भवान्
ko hi prajñāvatāṃ mukhyaḥ sarvaśāstravidāṃvaraḥ | strīṇāṃ śaraṇamāpadyedṛjurbuddhiryathā bhavān
जो प्रज्ञावंतांत अग्रणी व सर्व शास्त्रज्ञांत श्रेष्ठ आहे, तो कोण स्त्रियांचे शरण घेईल—तुझ्यासारखा, जरी तुझी बुद्धी सरळ म्हणून प्रसिद्ध असली तरी?
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced; Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: The speaker challenges the king’s reliance on ‘women’ as refuge; the scene is tense—some courtiers look uneasy, the king appears conflicted and ashamed.
FAQs
Discernment (viveka) is urged: one should not abandon śāstric clarity and self-mastery by seeking refuge in what is portrayed here as deluding attachment.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is primarily an ethical-philosophical admonition within the Māheśvara narrative.
None; the verse focuses on counsel about discernment and conduct.