Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
बभूव नृपतिश्रेष्ठ गत्वा वै देवसंनिधौ । अवोचद्भारखिन्नाहं गमिष्यामि रसातलम्
babhūva nṛpatiśreṣṭha gatvā vai devasaṃnidhau | avocadbhārakhinnāhaṃ gamiṣyāmi rasātalam
ഹേ നൃപതിശ്രേഷ്ഠ, (ഭൂമി) ദേവന്മാരുടെ സന്നിധിയിൽ ചെന്നു പറഞ്ഞു: “ഭാരത്താൽ ഞാൻ ക്ഷീണിച്ചു; ഞാൻ രസാതലത്തിലേക്ക് പോകും.”
Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating); quoted speaker: Pṛthivī (Earth) implied
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: Personified Earth (Bhūdevī) approaches the gods, expressing exhaustion from the world’s weight; devas appear concerned; a sense of impending imbalance as she threatens descent to Rasātala.
FAQs
When dharma declines and the world is overburdened, cosmic imbalance triggers divine intervention and restoration.
Not directly; it sets up the crisis that culminates in Varāha’s manifestation, which sanctifies the associated tīrtha.
None.