Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
तरन्बाहुभिरश्रान्तस्तं बकं प्रत्यभाषिषि । पाक्षरूपं समास्थाय कस्त्वमेकार्णवीकृते
taranbāhubhiraśrāntastaṃ bakaṃ pratyabhāṣiṣi | pākṣarūpaṃ samāsthāya kastvamekārṇavīkṛte
আমি বাহু দিয়ে অবিরাম সাঁতার কাটতে কাটতে, ক্লান্ত না হয়ে, সেই বককে বললাম—‘পাখির রূপ ধারণ করে, এক মহাসাগরে পরিণত এই জগতে তুমি কে?’
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) narrative sphere
Type: kshetra
Listener: The crane (divine being in bird-form)
Scene: A determined swimmer, arms cutting through dark waters, calls out to a radiant crane; the human struggle contrasts with the bird’s effortless poise and uncanny luminosity.
FAQs
Sincere inquiry (praśna) in the face of mystery invites revelation; the divine may appear in unexpected forms.
None; the setting is ekārṇava, the cosmic flood.
None; it is a narrative question-and-answer setup.