Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17
तथेति स प्रतिज्ञाय सर्वेषां पुरतोद्रिजे । मध्ये वनं प्राविशच्च महाचिंताभयार्दितः
tatheti sa pratijñāya sarveṣāṃ puratodrije | madhye vanaṃ prāviśacca mahāciṃtābhayārditaḥ
“ತಥಾಸ್ತು” ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿ ಅವನು ಎಲ್ಲರ ಮುಂದೆಯೇ ಪ್ರತಿಜ್ಞೆ ಮಾಡಿದನು; ನಂತರ ಮಹಾ ಚಿಂತೆಯೂ ಭಯವೂ ಕಾಡುತ್ತ, ಪರ್ವತಜನಿತ ದೇಶದ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಅರಣ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸಿದನು.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda to Agastya)
Scene: The student, having pledged publicly, steps into a dense forest; his face shows worry and fear, while the background hints at rugged terrain and looming trees.
FAQs
A vow made in public binds the conscience; even fear does not annul the obligation to pursue dharma.
The setting belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred geography of Kāśī, though this line narrates a forest episode rather than a named tīrtha.
None; it is narrative, highlighting the weight of pratijñā (a pledged word).