Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 98
बलिरुवाच । कोऽयं रैवतकोनाम व्रतं किं विष्णुवल्लभम् । शिवावृक्षास्तु के प्रोक्तास्तत्कथं कथयस्व मे
baliruvāca | ko'yaṃ raivatakonāma vrataṃ kiṃ viṣṇuvallabham | śivāvṛkṣāstu ke proktāstatkathaṃ kathayasva me
Bali dit : «Quel est ce lieu nommé Raivataka ? Quel est le vœu sacré cher à Viṣṇu ? Et quels sont les arbres appelés Śivāvṛkṣa ? Explique-moi comment cela se peut.»
Bali
Tirtha: Raivataka (within Vastrāpatha-kṣetra / Prabhāsa-kṣetra ambit)
Type: peak
Listener: Nārada
Scene: Bali, the Daitya king, respectfully questions sage Nārada about the sacred mountain Raivataka, a Viṣṇu-beloved vow, and the mysterious ‘Śivavṛkṣa’ trees; the setting suggests a tīrtha-assembly with ascetic calm and cosmic anticipation.
FAQs
Spiritual travel begins with inquiry—asking about the sacred place, its vows, and its holy symbols is itself a step toward right understanding.
Raivataka mountain is directly named, with associated sanctities (Viṣṇu-vallabha vrata and Śivāvṛkṣa) to be explained in the subsequent narrative.
The verse asks about the Viṣṇu-vallabha vrata; details of the observance are implied to follow.