Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29
पूर्वकल्पे नृपश्रेष्ठ क्रीडन्त्या परमेष्ठिना । उमया सह रुद्रस्य क्रीडतश्चार्णवीकृतः
pūrvakalpe nṛpaśreṣṭha krīḍantyā parameṣṭhinā | umayā saha rudrasya krīḍataścārṇavīkṛtaḥ
O best of kings, in a former kalpa, as the Supreme Lord sported with Umā, the universe—through Rudra’s play—became as though a vast oceanic expanse.
Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (explicit: nṛpaśreṣṭha)
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied by address ‘nṛpaśreṣṭha’ and explicit in next verses)
Scene: Śiva and Umā in playful embrace or sport; around them the cosmos turns into a vast ocean—worlds submerged, waves swirling, yet the divine couple remains serene and radiant.
FAQs
Even dissolution-like states are framed as divine līlā under Rudra and Umā—encouraging trust in the Lord’s governance of cycles.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it remains within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader sacred narrative geography.
None.