Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16
अथापश्यत्स तं विप्रं व्याधिभिः सर्वतो वृतम् । अशक्तं चलितुं क्वापि ततः प्रोवाच सादरम्
athāpaśyatsa taṃ vipraṃ vyādhibhiḥ sarvato vṛtam | aśaktaṃ calituṃ kvāpi tataḥ provāca sādaram
Alors il vit ce brāhmane, environné de maladies de toutes parts, incapable d’aller où que ce soit ; et il lui adressa la parole avec respect.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa context)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The radiant guide stands near the brāhmaṇa, who is encircled by symbolic ‘ailments’—shadowy forms or bands—while the guide leans slightly forward, speaking gently yet authoritatively.
FAQs
The purāṇic ideal joins power with compassion: the strong respond to suffering with respectful care, especially within a sacred kṣetra.
The surrounding narrative belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara field (kṣetra) described in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
None here; the verse introduces the compassionate dialogue.