Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58
स कदाचिन्मृगयुभिः पापर्धि व्यसनातुरः । सार्धं विवेशारण्यानि गृष्टिपृष्ठानुगो हयी
sa kadācinmṛgayubhiḥ pāpardhi vyasanāturaḥ | sārdhaṃ viveśāraṇyāni gṛṣṭipṛṣṭhānugo hayī
Một lần, bị thói nghiện săn bắn tội lỗi hành hạ, hắn cùng bọn thợ săn tiến vào rừng thẳm, cưỡi con ngựa bám sát phía sau đàn thú.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Scene: A dynamic forest hunt: King Durdama on horseback with hunters, dogs, and bows; startled deer flee; dust rises; the king’s face shows agitation and vice; the forest appears dense and shadowed, hinting at impending karmic reversal.
FAQs
Addictions rooted in harm (like cruel hunting) are framed as sin-increasing habits that propel one toward downfall—until grace intervenes.
The verse is part of the approach to Kāśī’s sacred woodland setting that will reveal its transforming power.
None stated; the verse describes conduct (vyasana) rather than prescribing a rite.