Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
तापसी तस्य भगिनी याज्ञवल्क्यस्य धीमतः । सा सप्तमेऽपि वर्षे च वैधव्यं प्राप दैवतः
tāpasī tasya bhaginī yājñavalkyasya dhīmataḥ | sā saptame'pi varṣe ca vaidhavyaṃ prāpa daivataḥ
Tāpasī, die Schwester des weisen Yājñavalkya, wurde—durch Fügung des Schicksals—schon in ihrem siebten Lebensjahr zur Witwe.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not stated in snippet)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) context (implied)
Type: river
Listener: Unnamed interlocutor
Scene: A young girl, ascetic-leaning by name and nature (Tāpasī), is shown in subdued attire, marked by widowhood; the atmosphere is tender and tragic, emphasizing her youth and sudden loss.
FAQs
Human fortunes—such as early widowhood—are portrayed as arising from destiny and prior causes, encouraging endurance and dharmic steadiness.
The verse sits in the Revā Khaṇḍa context associated with the Revā/Narmadā sacred region, though no single tīrtha is named in this line.
No explicit rite is prescribed here; it introduces the narrative background of Tāpasī.