Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25
ततः स पृथिवीपालः साम्ना चोग्रेण च स्वयम् । पर्यपृच्छत्सुहृद्वर्गं प्रत्यजानन्न चैव ते
tataḥ sa pṛthivīpālaḥ sāmnā cogreṇa ca svayam | paryapṛcchatsuhṛdvargaṃ pratyajānanna caiva te
তাৰ পাছত পৃথিৱীৰ ৰক্ষক ৰজাই কেতিয়াবা কোমল বাক্যৰে, কেতিয়াবা কঠোৰ বাক্যৰে নিজেই নিজৰ সখী-মিত্ৰবৰ্গক সোধ-পোছ কৰিলে; তথাপি তেওঁলোকে একো স্বীকাৰ নকৰিলে।
Īśvara (narrator voice within the Māhātmya context)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: The king (Śaryāti) alternates gentle and stern questioning of his trusted companions in a tight circle, faces averted, no one admitting fault; the atmosphere is controlled but tense.
FAQs
Leadership requires discernment: even gentle and stern questioning may fail when truth is concealed, prompting a deeper search for dharma.
The broader frame is Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya), though this verse itself is narrative setup rather than direct tīrtha praise.
None in this verse; it focuses on the king’s inquiry and the companions’ silence.