Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 37
आसक्तोऽसौ सदा कालं पापधर्मैर्नरेश्वर । अटाट्यत धरां सर्वां पर्वतांश्च वनानि च
āsakto'sau sadā kālaṃ pāpadharmairnareśvara | aṭāṭyata dharāṃ sarvāṃ parvatāṃśca vanāni ca
اے انسانوں کے سردار! وہ ہمیشہ گناہ آلود طریقوں میں مبتلا رہتا تھا؛ بے قراری سے وہ ساری زمین میں بھٹکتا پھرتا—پہاڑوں اور جنگلوں میں بھی۔
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Skanda Purāṇa narrative frame)
Listener: Pāṇḍunandana
Scene: Śatabāhu, driven by sinful attachment, wanders through rugged mountains and dense forests—dusty paths, uneasy posture, a sense of pursuit and inner turmoil despite royal stature.
FAQs
Attachment to pāpa (sinful conduct) leads to instability and aimless wandering, contrasting with the steadiness of dharma.
No single tīrtha is named yet; the narrative transitions into travel through natural landscapes that culminate in the Revā-region settings.
None; it is a moral characterization setting up later events.