Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
मृकण्ड उवाच । कस्मात्त्वं विप्रशार्दूल वीक्ष्येमं मम दारकम् । सुचिरं विस्मयाविष्टस्ततोऽभूः सस्मिताननः
mṛkaṇḍa uvāca | kasmāttvaṃ vipraśārdūla vīkṣyemaṃ mama dārakam | suciraṃ vismayāviṣṭastato'bhūḥ sasmitānanaḥ
মৃকণ্ডুৱে ক’লে: “হে বিপ্ৰশাৰ্দূল, মোৰ এই পুত্ৰক দেখি তুমি কিয় বহু সময় বিস্ময়ে আচ্ছন্ন হৈ ৰ’লা, আৰু তাৰ পাছত হাস্যমুখ হ’লা?”
Mṛkaṇḍu
Scene: Mṛkaṇḍu addresses the brāhmaṇa respectfully (‘vipraśārdūla’), gesturing toward the child; the wise man’s smile lingers, suggesting a concealed insight about the child’s fate.
FAQs
Dharma includes honest inquiry—seeking reasons from the learned before acting.
The broader chapter belongs to the Tīrthamāhātmya of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa; this verse itself does not name a particular tīrtha.
No ritual is prescribed here; it introduces the cause for the brāhmaṇa’s reaction.