Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3
आसीद्बलाहकोनाम रुद्रभक्तो महाबलः । आखेटकसमायुक्तो नृपः परपुरंजयः
āsīdbalāhakonāma rudrabhakto mahābalaḥ | ākheṭakasamāyukto nṛpaḥ parapuraṃjayaḥ
ബലാഹകൻ എന്നൊരു രാജാവുണ്ടായിരുന്നു—മഹാബലവാൻ, രുദ്രഭക്തൻ, വേട്ടയിൽ ഏർപ്പെട്ടവൻ, ശത്രുപുരങ്ങൾ ജയിച്ചവൻ।
Sūta (continued narration; speaker not re-stated in this verse)
Tirtha: Govatsa-tīrtha (narrative vicinity)
Type: tirtha
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied)
Scene: A strong king Balāhaka, armed with bow and accompanied by hunters, moves through a forest near the sacred ford; despite martial vigor, signs of Rudra-bhakti appear—tripuṇḍra, rudrākṣa, or a small liṅga emblem—foreshadowing a devotional turn.
FAQs
Purāṇic tīrtha-legends often begin with worldly power and action, then turn toward revelation—showing how devotion can redirect a ruler’s life.
The verse is part of the Govatsa-tīrtha narrative sequence within Dharmāraṇya.
None; this verse introduces the main human protagonist whose actions lead into the tīrtha’s māhātmya.