Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71
तत्पादप्रतिबिंबेषु रेखा शष्पांकुरं चरन् । नान्यद्वनांतरं याति काश्यां यूनां मनोमृगः
tatpādapratibiṃbeṣu rekhā śaṣpāṃkuraṃ caran | nānyadvanāṃtaraṃ yāti kāśyāṃ yūnāṃ manomṛgaḥ
เมื่อเล็มกินหน่ออ่อนแห่งเส้นลายที่ปรากฏในเงาสะท้อนแห่งบาทของนาง ‘กวางแห่งใจ’ ของหนุ่มเมืองกาศี ย่อมไม่ไปสู่พงไพรทางอื่นใด
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Listener: Sages / addressed ‘muni’ in the narrative voice
Scene: Young men in Kāśī, their minds likened to deer, captivated by the reflected feet of the maiden; the reflection’s delicate lines appear like fresh grass shoots in a watery mirror.
FAQs
The verse poetically depicts the mind’s tendency to ‘graze’ on impressions, implying the importance of directing attention toward higher devotion rather than wandering desire.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly mentioned as the setting.
None; this is metaphorical description.