Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43
मुखं वलिभिराक्रान्तं पलितैरंकितं शिरः । कन्याभावेपि वर्तंत्या न च तुष्टा हरप्रिया
mukhaṃ valibhirākrāntaṃ palitairaṃkitaṃ śiraḥ | kanyābhāvepi vartaṃtyā na ca tuṣṭā harapriyā
Son visage fut envahi de rides et sa tête marquée de cheveux blancs ; et pourtant, bien qu’elle demeurât vierge, la Bien-aimée de Hara, Pārvatī, ne fut pas satisfaite.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)
Scene: The devotee, still unmarried and steadfast, now visibly aged—wrinkled face, grey-streaked hair—stands or sits before the shrine of Pārvatī; the Goddess remains unappeased, heightening pathos and existential reflection.
FAQs
Outer hardship and the passage of time do not by themselves compel grace; devotion is portrayed as being tested and refined.
Not specified in this verse; it continues the tīrtha-māhātmya storyline focused on the devotee’s ordeal.
None newly; the verse emphasizes the long duration and severity of prior observances.