मार्कण्डेय उवाच । इदमाश्चर्यभूतं हि गौर्या पृष्टस्त्रियम्बकः । तत्तेऽहं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि पृच्छते निपुणाय वै
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | idamāścaryabhūtaṃ hi gauryā pṛṣṭastriyambakaḥ | tatte'haṃ sampravakṣyāmi pṛcchate nipuṇāya vai
Mārkaṇḍeya dit : «En vérité, cette chose merveilleuse fut jadis demandée par Gaurī à Tryambaka (Śiva). Je vais maintenant te l’exposer entièrement, puisque tu interroges avec discernement.»
Mārkaṇḍeya
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya begins: this wondrous topic was once asked by Gaurī to Tryambaka; he will now explain it to the discerning questioner.
Purāṇic truths are often grounded in divine dialogues; sincere inquiry qualifies one to receive deeper teaching.
The explanation being introduced concerns the Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha and its extraordinary merit.
None directly; it introduces an authoritative backstory (Gaurī–Śiva dialogue) to justify the tīrtha’s fruit.