Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4
ईश्वर उवाच । आसीत्पुरा महावीर्यो दानवो बलदर्पितः । मर्त्ये न तादृशः कश्चिद्विक्रमेण बलेन वा
īśvara uvāca | āsītpurā mahāvīryo dānavo baladarpitaḥ | martye na tādṛśaḥ kaścidvikrameṇa balena vā
Īśvara said: Long ago there was a mighty Daṇava, swollen with pride in his strength. Among mortals there was none like him—whether in prowess or in power.
Īśvara (Śiva)
Tirtha: Śūlabheda (contextual; not named in this verse)
Listener: Uttānapāda
Scene: Śiva begins the tale: a formidable daṇava, radiating brute strength and arrogance, looming as a threat; the atmosphere shifts from inquiry to impending conflict.
FAQs
Worldly strength and heroic power easily become pride; Purāṇic narratives begin by exposing this danger so that dharma and devotion can be restored.
The verse sets up the backstory for Śūlabheda-tīrtha; the tīrtha itself is not yet described here.
None; the verse introduces the character whose actions will lead to the tīrtha’s manifestation and its later religious practices.
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