Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 98
त्रेतायुगे तु दशमे दत्तात्रेयो बभूव ह । नष्टे धर्मे चतुर्थांशे मार्कंडेयपुरःसरः । एते दिव्यावतारा वै मानुष्ये कथिताः पुरा
tretāyuge tu daśame dattātreyo babhūva ha | naṣṭe dharme caturthāṃśe mārkaṃḍeyapuraḥsaraḥ | ete divyāvatārā vai mānuṣye kathitāḥ purā
Im Tretā-Zeitalter, im zehnten Yuga, offenbarte sich wahrlich Dattātreya—als ein Viertel des Dharma dahingeschwunden war—wobei Mārkaṇḍeya voranschritt. Dies sind in Wahrheit die göttlichen Herabkünfte, die seit alters unter den Menschen erzählt wurden.
Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from section continuity and 20.1)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage audience
Scene: Dattātreya manifests serene and radiant, with Mārkaṇḍeya preceding as venerable ṛṣi; the atmosphere suggests dharma’s partial decline and the arrival of wisdom to steady the world.
FAQs
As dharma diminishes with time, divine teachers manifest to guide humanity back toward righteousness.
The narrative is embedded in Prabhāsakṣetra’s māhātmya, presenting the site as a locus where sacred history is remembered and honored.
No direct ritual instruction appears in this verse.