Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40
यथायथा स कौतुक्याद्वीक्षते यौवनाश्रितः । कौतुक्यात्तेन च ततस्तस्या वक्त्रं निरीक्षितम्
yathāyathā sa kautukyādvīkṣate yauvanāśritaḥ | kautukyāttena ca tatastasyā vaktraṃ nirīkṣitam
ยิ่งเขา—ด้วยแรงกำหนัดแห่งวัยหนุ่มที่แอบอ้างเป็นความใคร่รู้—จ้องมองถี่ขึ้นเท่าใด ด้วยความใคร่รู้นั้นเองเขาก็ได้เพ่งดูใบหน้าของนางในที่สุด
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ (best of brāhmaṇas) addressed in surrounding narration
Scene: A young man repeatedly glances at a woman, first from a distance, then daring to look directly at her face—his ‘curiosity’ masking desire; the moment is tense, quiet, and morally charged.
FAQs
Dharma requires inner discipline; desire often disguises itself as harmless curiosity and grows by repeated indulgence.
No site is named in this verse; it is part of the moral narrative embedded in the chapter’s tīrtha-context.
None; the verse highlights psychological and ethical deterioration rather than ritual.