Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3
कोऽसौ तलः समाख्यातः किंवीर्यः किंपरायणः । कस्मात्स्थानात्समुत्पन्नः कथं जातश्च मे वद
ko'sau talaḥ samākhyātaḥ kiṃvīryaḥ kiṃparāyaṇaḥ | kasmātsthānātsamutpannaḥ kathaṃ jātaśca me vada
Qui est donc ce Tala, ainsi nommé ? Quelle est sa puissance, et à quoi se voue-t-il ? De quel lieu est-il issu, et comment est-il né ? Dis-le-moi.
Questioner (as per transmitted text: Īśvara)
Tirtha: Tala-svāmi (topic)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Īśvara (to answer)
Scene: A ‘question-scroll’ composition: Devī enumerates questions as small vignettes—Tala’s silhouette with heroic attributes (vīrya), a devotional scene showing his parāyaṇa, and a birthplace scene (mountain/forest/sea) awaiting revelation; Śiva as narrator at center.
FAQs
Understanding a tīrtha’s greatness includes knowing the character and karma narratives tied to it.
The verse is preparatory; it begins the inquiry that leads to the Tala-svāmi Māhātmya within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.
None; it is an interrogative verse establishing topics for the coming account.