Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
सूत उवाच । देवानां तद्वचः श्रुत्वा ततः सा परमेश्वरी । प्रोवाच वाहनं किंचिद्देवा यच्छतु मे द्रुतम् । ततः सिंहं ददौ गौरी यानार्थं विकृताननम् । तमारुह्य प्रतस्थे सा ततो विंध्यं नगं प्रति
sūta uvāca | devānāṃ tadvacaḥ śrutvā tataḥ sā parameśvarī | provāca vāhanaṃ kiṃciddevā yacchatu me drutam | tataḥ siṃhaṃ dadau gaurī yānārthaṃ vikṛtānanam | tamāruhya pratasthe sā tato viṃdhyaṃ nagaṃ prati
Sūta berkata: Mendengar ucapan para dewa, Sang Mahādevī bersabda, “Wahai para dewa, segeralah sediakan bagiku suatu wahana.” Lalu Gaurī memberikan seekor singa berwajah menggetarkan untuk tunggangannya. Naik ke atasnya, ia pun berangkat menuju Gunung Vindhya.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)
Tirtha: Vindhyācala
Type: kshetra
Scene: Sūta narrates: the Supreme Goddess asks for a mount; Gaurī provides a fearsome-faced lion. Devi mounts it and departs toward Vindhya.
FAQs
Divine missions unite intention and means: the Goddess accepts a vāhana and proceeds to the sacred locus where her tapas and work will unfold.
Vindhya mountain is explicitly named as the destination, establishing it as the sacred landscape for the ensuing māhātmya narrative.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it narrates the Goddess’s departure and the granting of her lion mount.