Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20
तावत्कर्ममयी वृत्तिर्ब्रह्म वृक्षांतराभवेत् । अवांतराणि पर्वाणि ज्ञेयानि मुनिभिः सदा
tāvatkarmamayī vṛttirbrahma vṛkṣāṃtarābhavet | avāṃtarāṇi parvāṇi jñeyāni munibhiḥ sadā
So long as one’s movement is still shaped by karma, Brahman is as though “between the branches of a tree”—only partially glimpsed; therefore the intermediate stages (parvans) should always be understood by sages.
Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)
Scene: A seeker beneath a vast sacred tree glimpses a radiant, formless Brahman-light between dense branches; sages point to stepping-stones or ‘parvans’ along a path leading from the shaded grove to open sky.
FAQs
As long as karma-driven tendencies persist, realization remains partial; discernment of stages of practice is essential.
No particular sacred site is named; the teaching functions as guidance for pilgrims and seekers within the Mahātmya.
None explicitly; it recommends understanding progressive stages of sādhana.
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