Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4
स कदाचिन्निशीथेऽथ तृषार्तश्च समुत्थितः । प्रार्थयामास तां वेश्यां पानीयं पातुमुत्सहे
sa kadācinniśīthe'tha tṛṣārtaśca samutthitaḥ | prārthayāmāsa tāṃ veśyāṃ pānīyaṃ pātumutsahe
Einst, mitten in der Nacht, stand er von Durst gequält auf und bat jene Kurtisane: „Ich möchte Wasser trinken.“
Sūta
Scene: A dim midnight chamber; a weary man rises from bedding, clutching his throat in thirst, turning toward a courtesan seated nearby; a small lamp casts long shadows, foreshadowing a mistake.
FAQs
The narrative turns on ordinary vulnerability (thirst) to unfold a larger Purāṇic teaching—how small moments can lead to karmic transformation.
The broader episode is framed as arising from Gaṅgā-māhātmya; this verse itself is a scene-setting moment in the story.
None; it is narrative progression describing the circumstances that lead to the forthcoming religious/moral development.