Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2
ततो मुखात्तस्य घना महोल्बणा निश्चेरुरिन्द्रायुधतुल्यरूपाः । घोराः पयोदा जगदन्धकारं कुर्वन्त ईशानवरप्रयुक्ताः
tato mukhāttasya ghanā maholbaṇā niścerurindrāyudhatulyarūpāḥ | ghorāḥ payodā jagadandhakāraṃ kurvanta īśānavaraprayuktāḥ
मग त्याच्या मुखातून अतिप्रचंड, इंद्रधनुष्यतुल्य रूपाचे घन मेघ बाहेर पडले; ते भयंकर पयोद ईशानाच्या वराने प्रेरित होऊन जगात अंधार पसरवीत होते।
Śrī Markaṇḍeya
Listener: Kingly interlocutor (continuation)
Scene: From the mouth of a vast cosmic form, enormous thunderclouds billow forth; rainbows arc within them like Indra’s bow; the universe below is swallowed in shadow, hinting at imminent rains and renewal.
FAQs
Cosmic processes operate under divine governance; even destruction and renewal move by the Lord’s sanction, reminding one to align with dharma.
The Revā Khaṇḍa context glorifies Narmadā, but this verse specifically depicts the pralaya-clouds rather than a localized tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes divine agency (Īśāna’s boon) behind cosmic events.