Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30
बटुरुवाच । भोभोः शृणुध्व सर्वेऽत्र सोपाध्याया द्विजोत्तमाः । प्रतिज्ञां मम दुर्धर्षां यां श्रुत्वा विस्मयो भवेत्
baṭuruvāca | bhobhoḥ śṛṇudhva sarve'tra sopādhyāyā dvijottamāḥ | pratijñāṃ mama durdharṣāṃ yāṃ śrutvā vismayo bhavet
ബടു പറഞ്ഞു—“ഭോ ഭോ! ഇവിടെ ഉള്ള നിങ്ങളൊക്കെയും, ഉപാധ്യായന്മാരോടുകൂടെ, ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ, കേൾക്കുവിൻ. എന്റെ ഈ ദുര്ധർഷ പ്രതിജ്ഞ കേൾക്കുവിൻ; കേട്ടാൽ വിസ്മയം ഉണ്ടാകും.”
Baṭu (Śiva in disguise, per context)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)
Type: river
Listener: Assembled brāhmaṇas with their upādhyāyas; framed to a king by the overarching narrator
Scene: A young brahmacārin (baṭu) stands before assembled brāhmaṇas with their teachers, raising his hand in solemn declaration; faces show curiosity and dawning astonishment in an āśrama courtyard near a sacred river landscape.
FAQs
A vow (pratijñā) is serious; dharma demands accountability for one’s words and challenges.
The Revā/Narmadā setting, where vows and conduct become vehicles for tīrtha-māhātmya teaching.
The verse introduces a vow; it emphasizes the dharmic weight of making and hearing solemn pledges.