Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49
शरत्काले यथा व्योम्नि नक्षत्राणि द्विजोत्तमाः । तथान्या स्पर्द्धया युक्ता ययाचेऽमलवर्चसम् । हारं निर्मूल्यतायुक्तं चित्ताह्लादकरं परम्
śaratkāle yathā vyomni nakṣatrāṇi dvijottamāḥ | tathānyā sparddhayā yuktā yayāce'malavarcasam | hāraṃ nirmūlyatāyuktaṃ cittāhlādakaraṃ param
हे द्विजोत्तम! शरद्ऋतूतील आकाशात जसे नक्षत्रे उजळतात, तसेच स्पर्धेने प्रेरित झालेल्या एका अन्य स्त्रीने निर्मळ तेजाचा, अमूल्य व हृदयाला परम आनंद देणारा हार मागितला।
Narrator addressing dvija-uttama (best of brāhmaṇas) (explicit vocative)
Listener: dvijoत्तama (addressed Brahmin interlocutor)
Scene: Autumn-sky imagery overlays a courtly scene: a spotless, radiant necklace held up, its gleam likened to stars; women look on with rivalry as Damayantī remains composed.
FAQs
Rivalry and craving can eclipse the sanctity of charity; the verse highlights how desire multiplies when rare gifts appear.
No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the chapter’s broader tīrtha narrative.
None directly; it describes the act of asking for a valuable ornament within a charitable distribution.