Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
तच्छ्रुत्वा भयसंत्रस्तः स मूकः पशुपालकः । निष्क्रांतो यष्टिमादाय निराहारोऽपि मन्दिरात्
tacchrutvā bhayasaṃtrastaḥ sa mūkaḥ paśupālakaḥ | niṣkrāṃto yaṣṭimādāya nirāhāro'pi mandirāt
À ces mots, le vacher muet, saisi d’effroi, sortit de la demeure en prenant son bâton, sans même avoir mangé.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced; narrative voice)
Tirtha: Cāmatkārapura (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija-sattama (implied audience of the narration)
Scene: The mute cowherd, trembling, grips a wooden staff and steps out quickly from the house, skipping food, eyes wide with fear yet resolved to search.
FAQs
Urgent responsibility (even under fear) pushes one toward action; such quests often culminate in tīrtha discovery and grace.
Not named yet; the verse depicts the departure that leads toward the tīrtha context.
None; ‘nirāhāra’ here indicates urgency (leaving without food), not a vowed fast.