Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 192
तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा मार्कंडेयादिभिस्त्रिभिः । प्रोक्तः सर्वैर्महाभाग मा त्वं प्रविश पावकम्
tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā mārkaṃḍeyādibhistribhiḥ | proktaḥ sarvairmahābhāga mā tvaṃ praviśa pāvakam
അവന്റെ വാക്കുകൾ കേട്ട് മാർകണ്ഡേയപ്രമുഖരായ ആ മൂന്നുപേരും മറ്റു എല്ലാവരും ചേർന്ന് ആ മഹാഭാഗനോട് പറഞ്ഞു—“നീ അഗ്നിയിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കരുത്।”
Narrator (contextual; quoted speech by Mārkaṇḍeya and companions)
Scene: A distraught king stands near a blazing sacrificial/cremation-like fire, poised to enter; three venerable sages led by Mārkaṇḍeya raise hands in prohibition while other attendants look on anxiously.
FAQs
Sage-guided dharma restrains self-harm; preserving life enables continued pursuit of merit, pilgrimage, and spiritual progress.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the broader Tīrthamāhātmya narrative arc.
A clear prohibition is given: do not enter the fire; no positive ritual (snāna, dāna, japa) is specified here.