Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
मृष्टं तिष्ठतु तद्दूरं विषादप्यधिकं कटु । तत्त्वया वादियन्मंत्रैरौषधैर्नोपशाम्यति
mṛṣṭaṃ tiṣṭhatu taddūraṃ viṣādapyadhikaṃ kaṭu | tattvayā vādiyanmaṃtrairauṣadhairnopaśāmyati
وہ ‘نفیس کھانا’ دور ہی رہے—جو تو نے تجویز کیا ہے وہ زہر سے بھی زیادہ کڑوا ہے؛ تیرے منتر اور دواؤں کے لگانے سے بھی یہ تسکین نہیں پاتا۔
Nāgas (Kādraveyas) (replying with reluctance/objection)
Scene: Nāgas confront Kadrū: their hoods flared, eyes resolute; the ‘sweet food’ imagery fades, replaced by a dark aura symbolizing bitter adharma; mantras and herbs shown as futile symbols beside the moral wound.
FAQs
Wrongdoing is intrinsically corrosive; ritual or technique cannot cleanse a willful breach of truth.
None named; the emphasis is ethical rather than geographical in this verse.
No prescription; it states that mantras and medicines cannot ‘pacify’ the bitterness of the proposed act.