Shloka 22
Duryodhana Seized by Citraseṇa; Kaurava Petition to Yudhiṣṭhira (दुर्योधनापहारः / चित्रसेनगन्धर्वग्रहणम्)
स्कन्द उवाच यावत् षोडश वर्षाणि भवन्ति तरुणा: प्रजा: । प्रबाधत मनुष्याणां तावद्रूपै: पृथग्विधै:,स्कन्द बोले--संसारके मनुष्य जबतक सोलह वर्षके तरुण न हो जायूँ, तबतक आप मानव-प्रजाको पृथक्-पृथक् उतने ही रूप धारण करके संताप दे सकती हैं
Skanda uvāca—yāvat ṣoḍaśa varṣāṇi bhavanti taruṇāḥ prajāḥ | prabādhata manuṣyāṇāṃ tāvad rūpaiḥ pṛthagvidhaiḥ ||
Skanda disse: “Enquanto a prole humana ainda não tiver alcançado dezesseis anos e se tornado jovem, durante esse período podeis afligir os homens, assumindo quantas formas diferentes desejardes.”
स्कन्द उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical boundary around vulnerability: those not yet mature (up to sixteen years) are seen as especially susceptible, and the passage highlights the need for restraint and protective norms regarding the young.
Skanda issues a directive/permission concerning how long and in what manner humans may be troubled—allowing affliction through diverse assumed forms only until people reach the threshold of youth at sixteen.