राजोवाच । अहं पूर्वभवे कश्चित्सारमेयो वरानने । पंपानगरमाश्रित्य पर्यटामि समंततः
rājovāca | ahaṃ pūrvabhave kaścitsārameyo varānane | paṃpānagaramāśritya paryaṭāmi samaṃtataḥ
രാജാവ് പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ വരാനനേ! മുൻജന്മത്തിൽ ഞാൻ ഒരു ശുനകൻ ആയിരുന്നു. പമ്പാ നഗരത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് ഞാൻ എല്ലാദിക്കുകളിലും അലഞ്ഞുതിരിഞ്ഞു.
The King (rājā)
Tirtha: Pampā-kṣetra (Pampā-nagara vicinity)
Type: kshetra
Listener: वरानना (a fair-faced woman; likely queen/consort or interlocutor in the कथा)
Scene: A stray dog roaming the streets and outskirts of Pampā city, dusty lanes, pilgrims and merchants in the background, distant temple spires hinting at Śiva’s presence.
Even a lowly birth can become spiritually meaningful through proximity to sacred places and contact with dharmic acts.
Pampā-nagara (the Pampā region), introduced as the sacred setting for what follows.
None explicitly; the verse begins a sacred-place narrative that will connect to Śiva-temple worship.