Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19
किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि को मे साहाय्यमर्पयेत् । बुद्धेरपि वनस्थस्य शरणं कं व्रजामि च
kiṃ karomi kva gacchāmi ko me sāhāyyamarpayet | buddherapi vanasthasya śaraṇaṃ kaṃ vrajāmi ca
“เราจะทำอย่างไร? จะไปที่ใด? ใครเล่าจะยื่นความช่วยเหลือแก่เรา? แม้ปัญญาของเรายามอยู่ในป่านี้ก็สั่นคลอน—เราจักไปพึ่งใครเป็นที่พึ่ง?”
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda to Agastya)
Scene: A lone student in a shadowed forest, hands raised in questioning or folded in half-prayer, eyes searching the sky or the path, conveying helplessness and the dawning impulse to surrender.
FAQs
When anxiety overwhelms the intellect, one should seek true refuge—guidance rooted in dharma rather than panic.
The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context implies Kāśī’s sanctity, but this line is an inner lament, not a site description.
None explicitly; it is a psychological and ethical turning-point in the narrative.