Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 132
ततः प्रोवाच विप्रः स उपमन्युकुलोद्भवः । विवर्णवदनो भूत्वा नाम्ना ख्यातः स वातकः
tataḥ provāca vipraḥ sa upamanyukulodbhavaḥ | vivarṇavadano bhūtvā nāmnā khyātaḥ sa vātakaḥ
Alors ce brāhmaṇa, né dans la lignée d’Upamanyu, prit la parole. Le visage blême, il était connu sous le nom de Vātaka.
Narrator (introducing Vātaka’s reply)
Scene: Close view of the brāhmaṇa Vātaka: pale face, lowered gaze turning upward to speak; the crowd quiets slightly as he begins his defense; subtle emphasis on his ascetic lineage through simple attire and sacred thread.
FAQs
Dharma discussions often hinge on qualified speakers—lineage and conduct frame whose words carry weight in tīrtha narratives.
The episode remains tied to Gartā-tīrtha, though this verse chiefly identifies the brāhmaṇa participant.
None directly; it transitions into Vātaka’s response about the gift and its intention.