ऋषय ऊचुः । नृगो नाम नृपः कोऽयं कथं कृष्णेन संगतः । कर्मणा कृकलासत्वं केन तद्वद विस्तरात्
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | nṛgo nāma nṛpaḥ ko'yaṃ kathaṃ kṛṣṇena saṃgataḥ | karmaṇā kṛkalāsatvaṃ kena tadvada vistarāt
Les sages dirent : « Qui est ce roi nommé Nṛga, et comment entra-t-il en contact avec Kṛṣṇa ? Par quel acte (karma) obtint-il la condition de lézard ? Dis-nous cela en détail. »
Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)
Tirtha: Dvārakā
Type: kshetra
Listener: Prahlāda (as the one addressed)
Scene: A circle of sages seated in a forest-āśrama or temple mandapa, hands raised in respectful inquiry, asking about Nṛga’s identity, his lizard state, and his meeting with Kṛṣṇa.
It frames the narrative as a karmic inquiry: actions have precise consequences, and the Purāṇa explains them to guide dharma.
The setting belongs to Dvārakā Māhātmya (the sacred greatness of Dvārakā and Kṛṣṇa’s sphere), within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.
No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the cause (karma) behind a curse-like condition.