Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19
सूत उवाच । श्रुत्वा ते दारुणां तस्य प्रतिज्ञां तापसोत्तमाः । परं विस्मयमापन्ना नोचुः किंचित्ततः परम्
sūta uvāca | śrutvā te dāruṇāṃ tasya pratijñāṃ tāpasottamāḥ | paraṃ vismayamāpannā nocuḥ kiṃcittataḥ param
Sūta dit : «Entendant son vœu terrible, ces ascètes éminents furent saisis du plus grand étonnement et ne dirent plus rien».
Sūta
Type: kshetra
Listener: Assembly of sages (śaunaka-type audience implied by purāṇic convention; not named in this verse)
Scene: A tableau of stunned ascetics: rishis seated with widened eyes, hands frozen mid-gesture, the vow-taker off-frame or in shadow; the forest hermitage quiet, emphasizing collective silence after a dreadful oath.
FAQs
It shows the gravity of vows and the moral shock they can evoke—even among ascetics—underscoring that dharma must be approached with discernment.
No site is named in this verse; it is a narrative reaction within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya frame.
None directly; the verse comments on the vow (pratijñā) and the sages’ silence.