Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46
पिप्पलाद उवाच । नाहं जानामि पितरं मातरं न च बांधवम् । नापि त्वां कोऽत्र चा यातो मम पार्श्वे तु सांप्रतम्
pippalāda uvāca | nāhaṃ jānāmi pitaraṃ mātaraṃ na ca bāṃdhavam | nāpi tvāṃ ko'tra cā yāto mama pārśve tu sāṃpratam
Pippalāda dit : «Je ne connais ni mon père ni ma mère, ni aucun parent. Je ne te connais pas non plus : qui es-tu, toi qui viens à l’instant près de moi ?»
Pippalāda
Listener: Unnamed arriving sage (revealed as Nārada in subsequent verses)
Scene: A young ascetic (Pippalāda) in a forest-hermitage setting questions an arriving sage about identity; the moment is tense yet contemplative, with sparse surroundings and a sense of abandonment.
FAQs
Identity in Purāṇic dharma is not only by birth; even one without known lineage can become spiritually significant through destiny, tapas, and divine protection.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter’s narrative development.
None; it is a personal statement establishing the boy’s unknown origins.