Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3
कोऽसौ तलः समाख्यातः किंवीर्यः किंपरायणः । कस्मात्स्थानात्समुत्पन्नः कथं जातश्च मे वद
ko'sau talaḥ samākhyātaḥ kiṃvīryaḥ kiṃparāyaṇaḥ | kasmātsthānātsamutpannaḥ kathaṃ jātaśca me vada
من هو «تالا» الذي يُسمّى بهذا الاسم؟ وما قوّته، وإلى ماذا يتوجّه بتعبّده واعتماده؟ ومن أيّ موضع نشأ، وكيف كانت ولادته؟ فحدّثني.
Questioner (as per transmitted text: Īśvara)
Tirtha: Tala-svāmi (topic)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Īśvara (to answer)
Scene: A ‘question-scroll’ composition: Devī enumerates questions as small vignettes—Tala’s silhouette with heroic attributes (vīrya), a devotional scene showing his parāyaṇa, and a birthplace scene (mountain/forest/sea) awaiting revelation; Śiva as narrator at center.
FAQs
Understanding a tīrtha’s greatness includes knowing the character and karma narratives tied to it.
The verse is preparatory; it begins the inquiry that leads to the Tala-svāmi Māhātmya within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.
None; it is an interrogative verse establishing topics for the coming account.