Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36
ऊचुश्चैव ततो देवा न जानीमो वयं सुराः । ब्रह्मपत्नी तदोवाच विष्णुं प्रति सुरेश्वरम् । त्रयाणामपि देवानां महांतं च वदस्व मे
ūcuścaiva tato devā na jānīmo vayaṃ surāḥ | brahmapatnī tadovāca viṣṇuṃ prati sureśvaram | trayāṇāmapi devānāṃ mahāṃtaṃ ca vadasva me
তেতিয়া দেৱতাসকলে ক’লে, “হে সুৰসকল, আমি নাজানোঁ।” তেতিয়া ব্ৰহ্মাৰ পত্নীয়ে দেৱেশ্বৰ বিষ্ণুক সম্বোধন কৰি ক’লে, “মোক কোৱা—তিনিও দেৱতাৰ ভিতৰত সত্যই সৰ্বশ্ৰেষ্ঠ কোন?”
Devas; then Brahmā’s consort (Sarasvatī) addressing Viṣṇu
Scene: A celestial assembly: devas confess ignorance; Sarasvatī (Brahmā’s consort) turns toward Viṣṇu, asking who is greatest among the three gods; the atmosphere is tense yet luminous.
FAQs
Even the gods can be uncertain; true greatness is known through dharma, humility, and divine discernment rather than debate.
The broader narrative belongs to Dharmāraṇya, where a tīrtha will be manifested through Viṣṇu’s act and austerity.
None explicitly in this verse; it sets up a theological inquiry that later leads to austerity (tapas) and tīrtha-prādurbhāva.