Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1
सूत उवाच । पाराशर्यमुने व्यास कुमारः कुंभजन्मने । यदावदत्कथामेतां तदा क्व द्रुपदात्मजा
sūta uvāca | pārāśaryamune vyāsa kumāraḥ kuṃbhajanmane | yadāvadatkathāmetāṃ tadā kva drupadātmajā
قال سوتا: حين كان فياسا، ابن باراشارا، يروي هذه الحكاية لكومارا (سكاندا)، لابن الحكيم المولود من الجرّة (أغاستيا)، فأين كانت آنذاك ابنة دروبادا، دروبادي؟
Sūta
Listener: Implied sage-assembly (Śaunaka and others, per purāṇic convention)
Scene: Sūta in a forest-assembly setting poses a precise question about narrative time: while Vyāsa spoke to Skanda, where was Draupadī? The scene emphasizes layered storytellers and attentive sages.
FAQs
Purāṇic teaching is transmitted through layered dialogue; reverent inquiry preserves accuracy and continuity of sacred history.
The verse sets the narrative frame within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; the immediate context leads into Draupadāditya associated with Kāśī.
None; this is a narrative question establishing context.