Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81
ते दृष्ट्वाऽदृष्टपूर्वं तं राजलक्षणलक्षितम् । धूलिधूसरितांगं च भस्मावृतमिवाचलम्
te dṛṣṭvā'dṛṣṭapūrvaṃ taṃ rājalakṣaṇalakṣitam | dhūlidhūsaritāṃgaṃ ca bhasmāvṛtamivācalam
Als sie ihn sahen – einen, den sie noch nie zuvor erblickt hatten –, doch gezeichnet von den Merkmalen der Königswürde, und dessen Glieder vom Staub ergraut waren wie ein von Asche bedeckter Berg, wurden sie aufmerksam.
Sūta (narrative continuation implied)
Scene: Villagers/attendants behold a dust-greyed stranger whose bearing and auspicious royal marks contradict his travel-worn body; the contrast creates wonder at a sacred landscape’s edge.
FAQs
Outer status fades on the pilgrim-road; endurance and humility mark spiritual readiness more than royal splendor.
The scene occurs at the rishi-āśrama by the lake referenced earlier; this verse does not name the tīrtha.
No explicit ritual; the ash/dust imagery suggests austerity and the stripping away of ego as part of the pilgrim’s discipline.