Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25
जल्पंति चेदृशं सर्वं तस्य रूपेण विस्मिताः । अत्रये वदन्ति सेवाम एनमर्थेन वर्जिताः
jalpaṃti cedṛśaṃ sarvaṃ tasya rūpeṇa vismitāḥ | atraye vadanti sevāma enamarthena varjitāḥ
Émerveillés par sa beauté, ils tinrent toutes sortes de propos de ce genre; puis ils dirent à Atrī : «Permets que nous servions celui-ci», sans aucun dessein mondain.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)
Scene: A radiant youth stands in a street or courtyard; onlookers—women and men—gaze in astonishment, hands folded, speaking to sage Atrī with an impulse to serve.
FAQs
It shows how astonishment can turn into misguided ‘service’ without discernment; Purāṇic dharma emphasizes right intention (artha) aligned with virtue and sacred order.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it remains within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame.
None; the word ‘sevā’ appears as narrative intent, not as a formal ritual injunction.