Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 51
कथं स्याद्धर्मश्रवणं कथं वा जीवनं भवेत् । एतस्मिन्मे मनो विद्धंखिद्यतेऽज्ञानसंकटे
kathaṃ syāddharmaśravaṇaṃ kathaṃ vā jīvanaṃ bhavet | etasminme mano viddhaṃkhidyate'jñānasaṃkaṭe
Paano magkakaroon ng pakikinig sa dharma, at paano mananatili ang buhay? Sa bagay na ito, ang aking isip—na tila sugatan—ay nagdurusa sa mapanganib na masukal na gubat ng kamangmangan.
Unspecified questioner (lamenting confusion before the reply begins at v.53)
Listener: Bāla (about to respond)
Scene: A seeker sits with bowed head, hand to chest as if wounded; around him a dense forest labeled ‘ajñāna’ with thorny vines; in the distance, a sage’s hut with a faint lamp of dharma-kathā.
FAQs
It expresses the seeker’s anguish: ignorance blocks both understanding dharma and living rightly.
None is mentioned; the focus is inner struggle rather than pilgrimage geography.
No ritual is stated; the verse is a confession of spiritual difficulty prompting instruction.