Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 168
ततः प्राह निजां भार्यां रहस्ये नृपसत्तम । ज्ञातोऽहं ब्राह्मणैः सर्वैरंत्यजातिसमुद्भवः । देशातरं गमिष्यामि त्वमागच्छ मया सह
tataḥ prāha nijāṃ bhāryāṃ rahasye nṛpasattama | jñāto'haṃ brāhmaṇaiḥ sarvairaṃtyajātisamudbhavaḥ | deśātaraṃ gamiṣyāmi tvamāgaccha mayā saha
പിന്നീട് അവൻ രഹസ്യമായി തന്റെ ഭാര്യയോട് പറഞ്ഞു: ‘ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠേ, എല്ലാ ബ്രാഹ്മണരും എന്നെ അന്ത്യജ വംശജനായി തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. ഞാൻ മറ്റൊരു ദേശത്തേക്ക് പോകും; നീയും എന്റെ കൂടെ വരിക.’
Unnamed man (addressing his wife; narration framed to a king)
Listener: nṛpasattama (addressed within the narration)
Scene: In a secluded chamber, the man confides to his wife that brāhmaṇas have recognized his antyaja birth; he proposes leaving for another land, inviting her to accompany him. The mood is hushed, tense, and sorrowful.
FAQs
Actions and identities hidden in society eventually become known; dharma narratives highlight accountability and the consequences of deception or fear.
No tīrtha-name appears in this verse; it continues the episode within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting.
None directly; the verse focuses on the narrative turn after the brāhmaṇas’ determination.