Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11
तस्मिन्वने संचरतो धर्मगुप्तस्य भूपतेः । अभूद्विभावरी विप्रास्त मसावृतदिङ्मुखा
tasminvane saṃcarato dharmaguptasya bhūpateḥ | abhūdvibhāvarī viprāsta masāvṛtadiṅmukhā
Ô brāhmanes, tandis que le roi Dharmagupta parcourait cette forêt, la nuit tomba, et toutes les directions furent voilées de ténèbres.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Brāhma Khaṇḍa narratives)
Tirtha: Setu (Rāmeśvara-Setu region)
Type: kshetra
Listener: brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ) addressed in the verse
Scene: A king in a dense forest as dusk collapses into night; the horizon and directions dissolve into a single mass of darkness, suggesting a sacred yet perilous limen.
FAQs
Even righteous rulers face obscurity and uncertainty; dharma is tested when guidance seems hidden, as in the darkness of night.
The broader narrative sits in Setukhaṇḍa, associated with Setu/Rāmeśvara pilgrimage geography, though this verse itself describes the forest setting.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets the scene for subsequent dharmic action.