Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4
ईश्वर उवाच । आसीत्पुरा महावीर्यो दानवो बलदर्पितः । मर्त्ये न तादृशः कश्चिद्विक्रमेण बलेन वा
īśvara uvāca | āsītpurā mahāvīryo dānavo baladarpitaḥ | martye na tādṛśaḥ kaścidvikrameṇa balena vā
Īśvara dit : Jadis, il y eut un Daṇava d’une grande vaillance, enivré de sa force et de son orgueil. Parmi les mortels, nul ne lui était comparable, ni par la prouesse ni par la puissance.
Īśvara (Śiva)
Tirtha: Śūlabheda (contextual; not named in this verse)
Listener: Uttānapāda
Scene: Śiva begins the tale: a formidable daṇava, radiating brute strength and arrogance, looming as a threat; the atmosphere shifts from inquiry to impending conflict.
FAQs
Worldly strength and heroic power easily become pride; Purāṇic narratives begin by exposing this danger so that dharma and devotion can be restored.
The verse sets up the backstory for Śūlabheda-tīrtha; the tīrtha itself is not yet described here.
None; the verse introduces the character whose actions will lead to the tīrtha’s manifestation and its later religious practices.