एवमुक्तः स पांथेन तेन विप्रः स कुष्ठभाक् । वीक्षांचक्रे ततो वक्त्रं स्वपत्न्या दुःखसंयुतः
evamuktaḥ sa pāṃthena tena vipraḥ sa kuṣṭhabhāk | vīkṣāṃcakre tato vaktraṃ svapatnyā duḥkhasaṃyutaḥ
Thus addressed by that traveler, the brāhmaṇa—afflicted with leprosy—then looked upon the face of his own wife, his heart weighed down with sorrow.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Tīrthamāhātmya context; specific speaker not stated in snippet)
Tirtha: Bhāskara-traya kṣetra (implied in immediate narrative)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A leprosy-afflicted brāhmaṇa, shoulders slumped, turns to look at his wife; her face shows pain and steadfastness; the traveler stands nearby, having just spoken, ready to depart.
Suffering becomes a turning-point when one seeks dharmic counsel and prepares for sacred action (yātrā and darśana).
The verse sets up the pilgrimage context; the specific sites are named in subsequent verses (Muṇḍīrasvāmin and related deities/places).
No explicit ritual is stated here; the focus is the emotional and moral pivot toward pilgrimage and darśana.