Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11
आजगाम ततोऽपश्यंस्तमृषिं तस्करानुगाः । तमपृच्छंस्तदा वृत्तं रक्षिणस्तं तपोधनम्
ājagāma tato'paśyaṃstamṛṣiṃ taskarānugāḥ | tamapṛcchaṃstadā vṛttaṃ rakṣiṇastaṃ tapodhanam
Dann, als sie jenen ṛṣi erblickten, kamen die Verfolger der Diebe heran. Die Wächter befragten diesen Tapodhana, den Schatz der Askese, was geschehen sei.
Deductive: Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating
Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: A royal addressee is implied by 'rājan' in the surrounding passage; also fits Sūta-to-sages frame.
Scene: Guards and pursuers arrive at the hermitage and see a serene sage seated; they question him urgently while he remains composed.
FAQs
Society seeks truth from the righteous; a sage’s conduct becomes the measure of dharma under pressure.
The Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred setting frames the episode; the āśrama is portrayed as a spiritually charged place where dharma is tested.
None; the verse sets up an ethical conflict around truth, pursuit, and the ascetic’s vow.