Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
अथ प्राह विशुद्धात्मा वृद्धः कुरुपितामहः । धृतराष्ट्रं महीपालं सपुत्रं प्रहसन्निव
atha prāha viśuddhātmā vṛddhaḥ kurupitāmahaḥ | dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ mahīpālaṃ saputraṃ prahasanniva
അപ്പോൾ വിശുദ്ധാത്മാവായ വൃദ്ധ കുരുപിതാമഹൻ, പുഞ്ചിരിയോടെന്നപോലെ, പുത്രസഹിതനായ രാജാവ് ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രനോട് പറഞ്ഞു.
Sūta (narrating; introduces Bhīṣma as speaker next)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Audience/śrotā; within story: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his son
Scene: Bhīṣma, aged and luminous with austerity, turns toward Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his son; his expression is gentle, almost smiling, as the group pauses near a sacred precinct.
FAQs
Purāṇic tīrtha teachings are often delivered through respected elders, framing sacred geography as authoritative counsel for rulers.
The immediate context is the approach to Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, which Bhīṣma will praise in the following verses.
None; it introduces a speech within the narrative.