Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33
सूत उवाच । तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा विनयाऽवनतः स्थितः । स प्रोवाच वचो भूपः किंचिद्व्रीडासमन्वितः
sūta uvāca | teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā vinayā'vanataḥ sthitaḥ | sa provāca vaco bhūpaḥ kiṃcidvrīḍāsamanvitaḥ
Sūta sprach: Als er ihre Worte vernommen hatte, stand der König in Demut, in bescheidener Verneigung; dann erwiderte er, mit einem Hauch zurückhaltender Scham.
Sūta (explicit)
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied Purāṇic frame)
Scene: A king stands before assembled sages, hands folded, head slightly bowed; his face shows modest hesitation as he prepares to speak. The setting suggests a forest-āśrama or pilgrimage rest-house near a sacred site.
FAQs
Even power is beautified by vinaya; humility before sages is praised as true nobility and a purifier in sacred contexts.
The verse is a narrative transition; the kṣetra’s glory continues through the king’s forthcoming explanation.
No ritual; it highlights the ethical posture of humility and modest speech in a sacred assembly.