Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1
अगस्तिरुवाच । शृणु सुश्रोणि सुभगे वैश्वानरसमुद्भवम् । पुण्यशीलसुशीलाभ्यां यथोक्तं शिवशर्मणे
agastiruvāca | śṛṇu suśroṇi subhage vaiśvānarasamudbhavam | puṇyaśīlasuśīlābhyāṃ yathoktaṃ śivaśarmaṇe
Agastya sprach: Höre, o Schönhüftige, o Glückselige, diese Erzählung, die aus Vaiśvānara, dem heiligen Feuer, hervorgegangen ist. Sie wurde Śivaśarman von dem tugendhaften Paar Puṇyaśīla und Suśīlā berichtet, genau wie es sich zutrug.
Agastya
Listener: Unnamed addressed woman (contextually Lopāmudrā)
Scene: Sage Agastya addresses an auspicious woman (likely Lopāmudrā) in a hermitage setting; a sacred fire burns nearby, symbolizing Vaiśvānara as the ‘source’ of the account; the mood is calm and instructive.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma is transmitted through revered dialogue and witness-based narration, grounding sacred instruction in exemplary lives.
The immediate verse introduces a narrative within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; the tirtha-glorification unfolds through the chapter’s story.
None in this opening line; it functions as a narrative introduction (kathā-prastāva).