Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 39
श्र्युवाच । विस्मृताहं कथं विप्र दृष्ट्वा कल्पे पुरातने । मा तेऽभूत्स्मृतिविभ्रंशः सा चाहं कल्पवाहिनी
śryuvāca | vismṛtāhaṃ kathaṃ vipra dṛṣṭvā kalpe purātane | mā te'bhūtsmṛtivibhraṃśaḥ sā cāhaṃ kalpavāhinī
ಶ್ರೀ ಉವಾಚ—ಹೇ ವಿಪ್ರ, ಪುರಾತನ ಕಲ್ಪದಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಕಂಡ ಮೇಲೆ ನಾನು ಹೇಗೆ ಮರೆತೆಯಾಗಲಿ? ನಿನ್ನ ಸ್ಮೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭ್ರಾಂತಿ ಆಗದಿರಲಿ; ನಾನು ಕಲ್ಪದಿಂದ ಕಲ್ಪಕ್ಕೆ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ಇರುವವಳೇ.
Śrī (the blessed goddess-like maiden; a divine female speaker within the narrative)
Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā
Type: kshetra
Listener: vipra/brāhmaṇa
Scene: The river-goddess speaks with calm authority, her form blending with flowing waters; the sage listens, astonished, as time (kalpa) is invoked like a living horizon.
FAQs
Purāṇic sacred history transcends ordinary time; divine presences and tīrtha-glories recur across kalpas, stabilizing faith beyond fleeting perception.
Revā-kṣetra is implied as a timeless sacred theatre where kalpa-spanning divine encounters occur.
No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse clarifies identity and removes doubt, preparing for māhātmya instruction.