Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 138
इंद्रद्युम्न उवाच । तव कस्मादुलूकत्वं शीघ्रं तन्मे प्रकीर्तय । एतन्मे कौतुकं भावि यत्ते ह्यायुरनन्तकम् । उलूकत्वं च संजातं रौद्रं लोकविगर्हितम्
iṃdradyumna uvāca | tava kasmādulūkatvaṃ śīghraṃ tanme prakīrtaya | etanme kautukaṃ bhāvi yatte hyāyuranantakam | ulūkatvaṃ ca saṃjātaṃ raudraṃ lokavigarhitam
ഇന്ദ്രദ്യുമ്നൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നിനക്ക് എന്തുകൊണ്ട് മൂങ്ങയായിത്തീർന്നു? വേഗം എനിക്ക് പറയുക. നിന്റെ ആയുസ്സ് അനന്തമാണെങ്കിലും, മൂങ്ങത്ത്വം ജനിച്ചു—ഭയങ്കരവും ലോകനിന്ദിതവും—ഇത് എനിക്ക് അത്ഭുതമാണ്.
Indradyumna
Listener: Ulūka
Scene: The king, astonished, gestures toward the owl, contrasting the creature’s ominous form with an aura of longevity; the scene carries moral tension—grace and curse intertwined.
FAQs
Even great longevity can coexist with a cursed condition—karma and śāpa shape embodiment, urging inquiry into righteous conduct and expiation.
Not named in this verse; it functions within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya storyline as a prompt for a karmic explanation.
None directly; it asks for the cause behind the condition, which is explained in subsequent verses.
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