Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23
जातमात्रं च तं गर्भं गृहीत्वा ब्राह्मणी च सा । अश्वत्थच्छायामाश्रित्य तमुत्सृज्य वचोऽब्रवीत्
jātamātraṃ ca taṃ garbhaṃ gṛhītvā brāhmaṇī ca sā | aśvatthacchāyāmāśritya tamutsṛjya vaco'bravīt
À peine l’enfant né, cette brāhmaṇī le prit; se mettant à l’abri sous l’ombre d’un aśvattha, elle le déposa et prononça ces paroles.
Narrator (contextual, not explicit in verse)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīra
Type: kshetra
Listener: nṛpasattama (a king addressed)
Scene: A brāhmaṇī, exhausted from childbirth, carries a newborn to an aśvattha tree by a riverbank; she sets the infant on the ground in the tree’s shade and begins a solemn utterance, the landscape quiet and expectant.
FAQs
Purāṇic narratives often place critical acts beneath sacred trees, signaling reliance on dharma, nature, and divine guardianship in moments of human limitation.
No specific tīrtha is named; the sacred element highlighted is the aśvattha tree within the Revā-khaṇḍa milieu.
No formal rite is prescribed; taking shelter under an aśvattha reflects sacred custom and devotional ecology.