Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48
गच्छामि यदि कांचित्स्त्रीं भूषणैः परिभूषिताम् । निष्क्रांतां बाह्यतश्चास्य प्रासादस्याप्नुयामहम्
gacchāmi yadi kāṃcitstrīṃ bhūṣaṇaiḥ paribhūṣitām | niṣkrāṃtāṃ bāhyataścāsya prāsādasyāpnuyāmaham
“Jika aku dapat mendekati seorang wanita yang sarat berhias perhiasan, ketika dia keluar ke bahagian luar kuil ini, saat itulah peluangku.”
The thief/hunter (internal monologue quoted by narrator)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The thief imagines intercepting a richly adorned woman as she exits the temple; the temple doorway glows with lamps, while the outer path is darker and perilous.
FAQs
It illustrates adharma-driven intention arising even near a sacred place, setting up the later irony of unintended merit.
A Śiva shrine (prāsāda/āyatana) where Śivarātri vigil is observed; the sanctity of the place frames the episode.
None explicitly; the verse occurs within the context of Śivarātri vigil at a temple.