Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46
कूपमेकं समाश्रित्य गम्भीरं जलदोपमम् । एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु मया दृष्टः समीपगः । तोयाकारो मरु द्देशस्तश्चित्ते विचिन्तितम्
kūpamekaṃ samāśritya gambhīraṃ jaladopamam | etasminneva kāle tu mayā dṛṣṭaḥ samīpagaḥ | toyākāro maru ddeśastaścitte vicintitam
ข้าพึ่งพาบ่อน้ำหนึ่ง—ลึกดุจเมฆอุ้มน้ำ—ในกาลนั้นเอง ข้าเห็นใกล้ ๆ แดนกันดารที่แลดูประหนึ่งสายน้ำ และข้าก็ครุ่นคิดไว้ในใจ
Unspecified narrator within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya
Type: kund
Scene: A deep stone-lined well shaded by a small structure; nearby shimmering heat creates a sheet-like mirage resembling water; the narrator gazes and reflects, hand to forehead, desert stretching beyond.
FAQs
Apparent ‘water’ in the desert can be illusion; true refuge is found in real sources sustained by dharma and, ultimately, divine grace.
A kūpa (well) is central, but its proper tīrtha-name is not given in this isolated verse.
None explicitly; the verse describes approaching a well and recognizing the deceptive appearance of water nearby.