Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 30
किमर्थं च महात्पापमिदं कृतवती ह्यसि । नार्युवाच । अप्सरा ह्यस्मि कौतेय देवारण्यनिवासिनी
kimarthaṃ ca mahātpāpamidaṃ kṛtavatī hyasi | nāryuvāca | apsarā hyasmi kauteya devāraṇyanivāsinī
“And for what reason have you committed this great sin?” The woman replied: “O son of Kuntī, I am indeed an apsaras, dwelling in the divine forest.”
Apsaras (the woman)
Tirtha: Devarāṇya
Type: kshetra
Scene: A questioning hero addresses a woman who reveals herself as an apsaras dwelling in a divine forest; the moment is poised between accusation and revelation, with the forest as a sanctified backdrop.
FAQs
Puranic narratives often contrast tapas (austerity) with temptation and moral lapse, urging vigilance and accountability.
A ‘Devāraṇya’ (divine forest) is mentioned, but no clearly identifiable pilgrimage site is specified in this verse alone.
None explicitly; the verse frames a moral question about grave wrongdoing.