Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3
कोऽसौ तलः समाख्यातः किंवीर्यः किंपरायणः । कस्मात्स्थानात्समुत्पन्नः कथं जातश्च मे वद
ko'sau talaḥ samākhyātaḥ kiṃvīryaḥ kiṃparāyaṇaḥ | kasmātsthānātsamutpannaḥ kathaṃ jātaśca me vada
Who is that Tala, so named? What is his power, and what is he devoted to as his refuge? From what place did he arise, and how was he born? Tell me.
Questioner (as per transmitted text: Īśvara)
Tirtha: Tala-svāmi (topic)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Īśvara (to answer)
Scene: A ‘question-scroll’ composition: Devī enumerates questions as small vignettes—Tala’s silhouette with heroic attributes (vīrya), a devotional scene showing his parāyaṇa, and a birthplace scene (mountain/forest/sea) awaiting revelation; Śiva as narrator at center.
FAQs
Understanding a tīrtha’s greatness includes knowing the character and karma narratives tied to it.
The verse is preparatory; it begins the inquiry that leads to the Tala-svāmi Māhātmya within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.
None; it is an interrogative verse establishing topics for the coming account.