Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 155
नारायणगृहे देवी स्थिता देवीगणैर्वृता । अत्रांतरे गौतमस्तु गोवधान्मलिनीकृतः
nārāyaṇagṛhe devī sthitā devīgaṇairvṛtā | atrāṃtare gautamastu govadhānmalinīkṛtaḥ
La Déesse demeura dans la demeure de Nārāyaṇa, entourée des cohortes de déesses. Cependant, Gautama fut souillé par le meurtre d’une vache.
Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narration)
Tirtha: Nārāyaṇa-gṛha (within Mandara/Prabhāsa narrative)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Inside Nārāyaṇa’s sanctum-like dwelling, the Devi sits enthroned, encircled by devī-gaṇas with fly-whisks and lamps. In a parallel vignette, sage Gautama appears distressed, holding a kamaṇḍalu, shadowed by the stain of go-vadha-doṣa, seeking a path to purification.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma stresses moral accountability: grave acts like cow-killing require purification and rectification.
Within the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya frame, the narrative also points to Nārāyaṇa’s sacred abode as a protective refuge.
The verse signals the need for purification (pavitrīkaraṇa), though the specific rite is stated in the next verse.