Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
तरन्बाहुभिरश्रान्तस्तं बकं प्रत्यभाषिषि । पाक्षरूपं समास्थाय कस्त्वमेकार्णवीकृते
taranbāhubhiraśrāntastaṃ bakaṃ pratyabhāṣiṣi | pākṣarūpaṃ samāsthāya kastvamekārṇavīkṛte
Et moi, nageant sans relâche à la force des bras, je m’adressai à cette grue : «Ayant pris une forme d’oiseau, qui es-tu dans ce monde devenu un seul océan ?»
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) narrative sphere
Type: kshetra
Listener: The crane (divine being in bird-form)
Scene: A determined swimmer, arms cutting through dark waters, calls out to a radiant crane; the human struggle contrasts with the bird’s effortless poise and uncanny luminosity.
FAQs
Sincere inquiry (praśna) in the face of mystery invites revelation; the divine may appear in unexpected forms.
None; the setting is ekārṇava, the cosmic flood.
None; it is a narrative question-and-answer setup.