Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19
गृध्र उवाच । षट्पंचाशद्व्यतीता मे कल्पा जातस्य कौशिक । न दृष्टो न श्रुतोऽस्माभिरिंद्रद्युम्नो महीपतिः
gṛdhra uvāca | ṣaṭpaṃcāśadvyatītā me kalpā jātasya kauśika | na dṛṣṭo na śruto'smābhiriṃdradyumno mahīpatiḥ
Le vautour dit : «Ô Kauśika, depuis ma naissance, cinquante-six kalpa se sont écoulés. Pourtant, le roi Indradyumna, souverain de la terre, nous ne l’avons ni vu ni même entendu nommer.»
Gṛdhra (the vulture)
Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (frame implied)
Scene: The vulture speaks with grave calm, seated like an ancient seer; behind him, a cosmic backdrop hints at passing kalpas—sun/moon cycles, fading yugas—while he declares he has never seen or heard of King Indradyumna.
FAQs
Puranic narratives stress the immensity of cosmic time (kalpas), relativizing worldly fame and kingship.
No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as chronological and narrative framing.
None; the verse provides testimony about time and memory across kalpas.