Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
धर्मवर्मेति नृपतिर्योऽस्य देशस्य भूपतिः । स तु दानस्य तत्त्वार्थी तेपे वर्षगणान्बहून्
dharmavarmeti nṛpatiryo'sya deśasya bhūpatiḥ | sa tu dānasya tattvārthī tepe varṣagaṇānbahūn
“The king named Dharmavarman, ruler of this land—seeking the true principle of dāna (charitable giving)—performed austerities for many years.”
Sages (reporting to the narrator) within Sūta’s narration (deduced)
Listener: Nārada
Scene: A crowned king in simple ascetic garb performs long austerities—standing or seated in meditation—amid a forest hermitage; attendants and a distant palace suggest renunciation within rulership.
FAQs
True charity (dāna) is not merely an act but a dharmic principle worthy of deep inquiry and tapas.
The broader episode remains situated around a sacred confluence; this verse focuses on the local king connected to that sacred landscape.
Tapas (austerity) undertaken to realize the tattva (essential truth) of dāna.