Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 94
सूत उवाच । ततस्ते ब्राह्मणाः सर्वे पप्रच्छुस्तं द्विजोत्तमाः । वानप्रस्थाश्रमं त्यक्त्वा भार्यां शिशुसमन्विताम् । क्व गतस्त्वं तदाचक्ष्व कियत्कालं च संस्थितः
sūta uvāca | tataste brāhmaṇāḥ sarve papracchustaṃ dvijottamāḥ | vānaprasthāśramaṃ tyaktvā bhāryāṃ śiśusamanvitām | kva gatastvaṃ tadācakṣva kiyatkālaṃ ca saṃsthitaḥ
Sūta sprach: Da fragten ihn all jene Brahmanen, die Besten unter den Zweimalgeborenen: „Nachdem du das Vānaprastha-Āśrama verlassen und deine Frau mit einem Kind zurückgelassen hast — wohin bist du gegangen? Sage es uns, und wie lange bist du dort geblieben?“
Sūta
Listener: brāhmaṇa assembly (śaunaka-like audience implied by purāṇic frame)
Scene: A circle of venerable brāhmaṇas in a forest-ashram setting question an ascetic/guest about leaving vānaprastha life and his wife with a child; the mood is grave, investigative.
FAQs
Dharmic narratives test renunciation by asking for clarity of conduct—where one went, why, and what discipline was maintained.
This verse introduces an inquiry that typically leads to tīrtha descriptions, but it does not name the site in this line.
No direct prescription; it frames a discussion about āśrama-dharma (vānaprastha) and the renunciant’s journey.