Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 29
श्रीमार्कंडेय उवाच । सप्तकल्पान्तरे नाभूत्कोपींद्रद्युम्नसंज्ञितः । भूपाल किमहं वच्मि तवान्यत्पृच्छ संशयम्
śrīmārkaṃḍeya uvāca | saptakalpāntare nābhūtkopīṃdradyumnasaṃjñitaḥ | bhūpāla kimahaṃ vacmi tavānyatpṛccha saṃśayam
শ্রী মার্কণ্ডেয় বললেন—“সাত কল্পের অন্তে ‘ইন্দ্রদ্যুম্ন’ নামে কেউই ছিল না। হে ভূপাল, আমি আর কী বলব? তোমার অন্য যে সংশয় আছে, তা জিজ্ঞাসা কর।”
Mārkaṇḍeya
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied frame)
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, serene and authoritative, speaks of seven kalpa-endings; behind him, a symbolic backdrop suggests cosmic cycles—fading crowns, dissolving cities, and a vast sky—while the king appears stunned.
FAQs
Across kalpas, worldly identity dissolves; lasting value lies in dharma, devotion, and the spiritual record upheld by sages.
No tīrtha is directly glorified in this verse; the broader episode is linked to Naimiṣāraṇya through Mārkaṇḍeya.
None; it invites further questioning to remove doubt (saṁśaya-nivṛtti).