Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2
मथुरानाम विख्याता नगरी धरणीतले । तत्र विप्रोऽभवत्पूर्वं देवशर्मेति विश्रुतः । अगस्त्यगोत्रो विद्वान्वै स तु दारिद्र्यपीडितः
mathurānāma vikhyātā nagarī dharaṇītale | tatra vipro'bhavatpūrvaṃ devaśarmeti viśrutaḥ | agastyagotro vidvānvai sa tu dāridryapīḍitaḥ
À la surface de la terre se trouvait une cité renommée nommée Mathurā. Là, jadis, vécut un brāhmane connu sous le nom de Devaśarman : savant, de la lignée d’Agastya, mais accablé par la pauvreté.
Śiva (Īśvara) — continuing narrative to Pārvatī
Tirtha: Mathurā
Type: kshetra
Scene: A renowned cityscape of Mathurā with ghāṭs and temples; a humble, learned brāhmaṇa Devaśarman in simple garments, holding palm-leaf manuscripts, his home sparse—signifying poverty amid learning.
FAQs
Purāṇas often frame tīrtha-māhātmya through human struggle, showing that worldly hardship can become the doorway to sacred merit.
The immediate setting names Mathurā; the broader chapter context belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya leading toward Anarakeśvara.
None in this verse; it introduces a character for a forthcoming sacred narrative.