Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4
तेनैकं विद्महे रुद्रं नान्यमीशं कथंचन । तस्माद्ब्रूहि महाभाग सर्वानेतान्सुविस्तरात्
tenaikaṃ vidmahe rudraṃ nānyamīśaṃ kathaṃcana | tasmādbrūhi mahābhāga sarvānetānsuvistarāt
« Ainsi, nous reconnaissons Rudra comme l’Unique, et nul autre Seigneur en aucune manière. C’est pourquoi, ô toi grandement fortuné, expose-nous tout cela en détail. »
Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)
Listener: Sūta (addressed as mahābhāga)
Scene: Sages with earnest faces, one spokesperson addressing the narrator with folded hands, requesting a full explanation; atmosphere of disciplined inquiry.
FAQs
True understanding begins with recognizing the supreme Lordship of Rudra and then seeking the detailed account of his manifestations and sacred deeds.
The request leads into the Hāṭakeśvara account associated with the sacred sphere of Vārāṇasī/Kāśī in this chapter.
None is stated; the verse is an invitation to an expanded kathā (sacred narration).