Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 69
युधिष्ठिर उवाच । उत्पन्ना तु कथं तात विशल्या कपिला कथम् । कथं वा नर्मदापुत्रः शल्ययुक्तोऽभवन्मुने
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | utpannā tu kathaṃ tāta viśalyā kapilā katham | kathaṃ vā narmadāputraḥ śalyayukto'bhavanmune
युधिष्ठिर ने कहा—हे तात! विशल्या कैसे उत्पन्न हुई? और कपिला (गौ) कैसे प्रकट हुई? तथा हे मुने! नर्मदा का पुत्र शल्ययुक्त कैसे हुआ?
Yudhiṣṭhira
Tirtha: Viśalyā (and associated Kapilā-related locus)
Type: kshetra
Listener: The sage narrator (addressed as ‘mune’, ‘tāta’)
Scene: A forest-river hermitage setting: Yudhiṣṭhira seated respectfully before a sage, hands in añjali, asking about Viśalyā, Kapilā, and Narmadā’s son; the river glimmers in the background, hinting at the forthcoming origin tale.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma is transmitted through inquiry: asking about a tīrtha’s origin reveals its deeper spiritual meaning and associated vows and merits.
Viśalyā tīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) region, whose origin-story is being requested.
None in this verse; it introduces the narrative inquiry that will explain origins and merits.