Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16
व्रतव्याजेन राजेन्द्र न तु गौरी व्यजानत । कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य नारदो भगवान्मुनिः । कैवल्यज्ञानसंपन्नस्तत्रायातः परिभ्रमन्
vratavyājena rājendra na tu gaurī vyajānata | kasyacittvatha kālasya nārado bhagavānmuniḥ | kaivalyajñānasaṃpannastatrāyātaḥ paribhraman
يا خيرَ الملوك، بهذه الذريعة من النذر (فْرَتَ) لم تُدرك غوري ما كان يجري على الحقيقة. وبعد حينٍ من الزمان، أتى إلى هناك الناسك الجليل نارادا، الموني المبارك، الموهوب معرفةً تُفضي إلى الكيفَلْيَة (التحرّر)، وذلك وهو يجوب الآفاق.
Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (listener implied by 'rājendra')
Tirtha: Arbuda Gaṅgā-sannidhi tīrtha (contextual)
Type: kund
Listener: A king (rājendra)
Scene: Gaurī remains unaware of Śiva’s true intent behind the vow; time passes; Nārada, radiant and ascetic, arrives with vīṇā, embodying liberation-knowledge.
FAQs
Purāṇic narratives often show how divine play can be veiled; liberating insight (kaivalya-jñāna) is represented by sages like Nārada who reveal hidden meanings.
The Arbuda region is the narrative frame; its sanctity is heightened by the arrival of Nārada and the presence of Śiva-related observances.
Vrata is referenced as the outward form of Śiva’s observance, though used here as a narrative device (vyāja).