Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42
नवमे दशमे वापि प्रबलैः सूतिमारुतैः । निर्गच्छते बाण इव यन्त्रच्छिद्रेण सज्वरः
navame daśame vāpi prabalaiḥ sūtimārutaiḥ | nirgacchate bāṇa iva yantracchidreṇa sajvaraḥ
Im neunten oder sogar im zehnten Monat, von den mächtigen Winden der Geburt getrieben, tritt das Kind hervor — wie ein Pfeil, der durch die Öffnung eines Geräts schießt — oft begleitet von fiebriger Bedrängnis.
Unspecified (narratorial voice within Revākhaṇḍa; likely a Purāṇic teacher addressing a king—cf. 'nṛpa' later in the adhyāya)
Scene: Symbolic mechanical simile: a stylized yantra with an aperture; an arrow-like infant form propelled outward by swirling wind-gods (vāyu), with a red fever aura indicating jvara.
FAQs
It underscores the vulnerability and suffering inherent in embodied birth, preparing the listener for the Purāṇic emphasis on dharma and liberating tīrthas.
This verse is part of the lead-up in Revākhaṇḍa; the adhyāya culminates in the glorification of Narakeśvara Tīrtha on the Narmadā.
None here; it is descriptive, setting context for later tīrtha-related merit and deliverance.