Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
ऋषय ऊचुः । यत्वया सूतज प्रोक्तं देवी कात्यायनी च सा । महिषांतकरी जाता कथं सा मे प्रकीर्तय । कीदृग्दानववर्यः स माहिषं रूपमाश्रितः । कस्मात्स सूदितो देव्या तन्मे विस्तरतो वद
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | yatvayā sūtaja proktaṃ devī kātyāyanī ca sā | mahiṣāṃtakarī jātā kathaṃ sā me prakīrtaya | kīdṛgdānavavaryaḥ sa māhiṣaṃ rūpamāśritaḥ | kasmātsa sūdito devyā tanme vistarato vada
Les sages dirent : «Ô fils de Sūta, tu as proclamé que la Déesse est Kātyāyanī et qu’elle devint la destructrice de Mahiṣa. Dis-nous comment cela advint. Quel était ce démon éminent qui prit la forme d’un buffle ? Et pour quelle raison fut-il mis à mort par la Déesse ? Expose-nous cela en détail.»
Ṛṣis (the sages)
Listener: Sūta (addressed as Sūtaja)
Scene: A council of sages in an āśrama, hands raised in respectful inquiry toward Sūta seated on a vyāsapīṭha; behind them a faint vision of Kātyāyanī with lion and the buffalo-demon silhouette, foreshadowing the tale.
FAQs
Inquiry into sacred history (itihāsa within Purāṇa) is presented as a dharmic act—seeking causes, forms, and divine justice behind the destruction of adharma.
The immediate focus shifts from site-glorification to Devī-māhātmya narrative; the broader setting remains within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-oriented discourse.
None explicitly; it is a narrative prompt requesting detailed kathā (sacred account).