Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51
अपि स्याच्छीतलो वह्निश्चंद्रमा दहनात्मकः । क्षाराब्दिरपि मिष्टः स्यान्न कामी लज्जते ध्रुवम्
api syācchītalo vahniścaṃdramā dahanātmakaḥ | kṣārābdirapi miṣṭaḥ syānna kāmī lajjate dhruvam
Api pun mungkin menjadi sejuk, bulan mungkin menjadi membakar, dan lautan masin mungkin menjadi manis—namun orang yang dikuasai nafsu, pasti tidak berasa malu.
Unspecified (contextual speaker within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya dialogue)
Scene: A didactic tableau: fire rendered cool (blue flames), the moon emitting heat (red halo), and the salt ocean turning sweet (lotus-filled waters), while a man driven by lust stands unashamed amid disapproving onlookers—symbolizing moral inversion greater than cosmic inversion.
FAQs
The verse stresses that lust hardens the conscience; without inner restraint, outer piety becomes hollow.
No site is named in this single verse; it serves as moral instruction within a pilgrimage-glorification section.
None; the emphasis is on internal reform (lajjā and control over kāma).