Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 90
बर्बरीक उवाच । एको मया पुमान्दृष्टो युध्यमानः परैः सह । सव्यतः पंचवक्त्रः स दक्षिणे चैकवक्त्रतः
barbarīka uvāca | eko mayā pumāndṛṣṭo yudhyamānaḥ paraiḥ saha | savyataḥ paṃcavaktraḥ sa dakṣiṇe caikavaktrataḥ
ബർബരീകൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അനേകരോടൊപ്പം യുദ്ധം ചെയ്യുന്ന ഒരേയൊരു പുരുഷനെ ഞാൻ കണ്ടു. അവൻ ഇടത്തുവശത്ത് പഞ്ചമുഖനും വലത്തുവശത്ത് ഏകമുഖനും ആയി തോന്നി.
Barbarīka
Listener: Bhīma (and by extension the Pāṇḍavas)
Scene: Barbarīka describes one warrior: on the left, five-faced; on the right, single-faced—suggesting a unified deity with Śaiva (pañcavaktra) and Vaiṣṇava (ekavaktra) aspects simultaneously present.
FAQs
The verse highlights the mystery of divine manifestation—one reality can appear in multiple forms according to cosmic purpose.
No tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse; it is a narrative description within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa.
No vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa instruction appears in this verse.