Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
पुलस्त्यो ब्रह्मणः पुत्रो विश्रवास्तस्य वै सुतः । रावणस्तेन संजातो दशास्यो ब्रह्मराक्षसः
pulastyo brahmaṇaḥ putro viśravāstasya vai sutaḥ | rāvaṇastena saṃjāto daśāsyo brahmarākṣasaḥ
Pulastya était un fils de Brahmā ; et son fils, en vérité, fut Viśravā. De lui naquit Rāvaṇa, aux dix visages, renommé comme brahma-rākṣasa.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Revākhaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in this verse)
Listener: Somavaṃśa-vibhūṣaṇa (lunar-dynasty prince/hero)
Scene: A didactic tableau: the sage narrates lineage while a symbolic vision appears—Brahmā, Pulastya, Viśravā, and the formidable ten-headed Rāvaṇa emerging as a shadowed figure, indicating ‘brahma-rākṣasa’ paradox.
FAQs
It frames power and fame within a moral genealogy: noble origins do not guarantee dharmic conduct; lineage is secondary to righteousness.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves as narrative background within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.
None in this verse; it is primarily genealogical narration.