Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20
वामदेव उवाच । कस्त्वं वनेचरो घोरो राक्षसोऽत्र किमास्थितः । कथमेतां महाघोरां कष्टां गतिमवाप्तवान्
vāmadeva uvāca | kastvaṃ vanecaro ghoro rākṣaso'tra kimāsthitaḥ | kathametāṃ mahāghorāṃ kaṣṭāṃ gatimavāptavān
വാമദേവൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നീ ആരാണ്, ഈ ഭീകര വനചരാ? രാക്ഷസനായി ഇവിടെ എന്തിന് നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു? ഈ അതിഘോരവും കഷ്ടകരവുമായ അവസ്ഥ നീ എങ്ങനെ പ്രാപിച്ചു?
Vāmadeva
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)
Scene: Vāmadeva, radiant and composed, addresses a towering, fearsome forest-roaming rākṣasa; the forest is dense with twisted roots and shafts of light, suggesting both danger and sanctity.
FAQs
Puranic narratives often begin moral transformation with inquiry—asking about identity, purpose, and the karmic cause of suffering.
No tīrtha is identified in this verse; it functions as narrative setup for karmic confession.
None; the verse is a question initiating the account of past deeds.