Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 60
एतच्छ्रुत्वा महादेवो भूतस्य वदनाच्च्युतम् । कटिस्थं याज्ञवल्क्यं च मन्त्रयामास मन्त्रवित्
etacchrutvā mahādevo bhūtasya vadanāccyutam | kaṭisthaṃ yājñavalkyaṃ ca mantrayāmāsa mantravit
Mendengar itu, Mahādeva—sang ahli mantra—memperhatikan ucapan yang keluar dari mulut makhluk itu, lalu bermusyawarah dengan Yājñavalkya yang berada di pinggangnya.
Narrator (implied Vaiśampāyana) to Yudhiṣṭhira
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)
Type: river
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: Mahādeva listens intently, then turns to consult Yājñavalkya—depicted unusually as positioned at the deity’s waist (katī-stha), suggesting intimate guardianship or a miniature sage-form; the spirit’s utterance hangs in the air like visible syllables.
FAQs
Dharma is upheld through wise counsel and mantra-knowledge; even crises are met with discernment, not impulse.
The Revā (Narmadā) region is the broader sacred frame; the verse emphasizes mantra-counsel rather than praising a named tīrtha.
No explicit rite is prescribed, but the mention of mantra-vijñāna points to remedial spiritual measures guided by realized sages.