Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1
शिवशर्मोवाच । सत्यलोकेश्वर विधे सर्वेषां प्रपितामह । किंचिद्विज्ञप्तुकामोस्मि न भयाद्वक्तुमुत्सहे
śivaśarmovāca | satyalokeśvara vidhe sarveṣāṃ prapitāmaha | kiṃcidvijñaptukāmosmi na bhayādvaktumutsahe
Śivaśarman said: O Vidhātṛ (Brahmā), Lord of Satyaloka, great-grandsire of all beings—there is something I wish to submit; yet, out of fear, I do not dare to speak.
Śivaśarman
Tirtha: Kāśī (implicit larger frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brahmā (Vidhātṛ)
Scene: A trembling brāhmaṇa (Śivaśarman) stands with folded hands before four-faced Brahmā enthroned in Satyaloka, surrounded by luminous attendants and lotus motifs; the seeker’s fear is visible in posture and lowered gaze.
FAQs
Approaching a higher authority with humility is praised; fear and reverence often precede sacred inquiry.
No tirtha is named in this verse; it sets up the dialogue that later focuses on Kāśī’s liberating greatness.
None in this verse; it is a narrative opening establishing the petitioner’s hesitation.