Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 70
कथ्यतां तात गोत्रं स्वं कुलं चैव विशेषतः । कथयस्व महाभाग इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्तथा । सुमुखेन विमुखः सद्यो ह्यशोच्यः शोच्यतां गतः
kathyatāṃ tāta gotraṃ svaṃ kulaṃ caiva viśeṣataḥ | kathayasva mahābhāga ityākarṇya vacastathā | sumukhena vimukhaḥ sadyo hyaśocyaḥ śocyatāṃ gataḥ
«Cher enfant, dis-nous ton gotra et, plus particulièrement, ta lignée; déclare-le, ô bienheureux.» À ces paroles, celui au beau visage se détourna aussitôt; bien qu’au-delà du chagrin, il devint, à leurs yeux, objet de lamentation.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating
Tirtha: Kedāra kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (traditional frame)
Scene: Brahmins ask the groom to state his gotra and lineage; the fair-faced one turns away instantly, creating a poignant pause—others perceive him as ‘to be lamented’ though he is beyond sorrow.
FAQs
Worldly identifiers like gotra and kula do not capture the divine; the narrative prepares the reader to see Śiva as beyond social categories.
The Kedāra sacred landscape frames the episode, but the verse itself emphasizes theological dialogue rather than a tīrtha’s merit.
None explicitly; the verse is a conversational inquiry about lineage and identity.