Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
दुर्वासा उवाच । चातुर्मासीविधानं ते करिष्ये नृप मंदिरे । मृत्तिकाग्रहणं तावच्छुश्रूषा क्रियतां मम । स तथेति प्रतिज्ञाय मामूचे पार्थिवोत्तमः
durvāsā uvāca | cāturmāsīvidhānaṃ te kariṣye nṛpa maṃdire | mṛttikāgrahaṇaṃ tāvacchuśrūṣā kriyatāṃ mama | sa tatheti pratijñāya māmūce pārthivottamaḥ
दुर्वासा म्हणाले—हे नृपा, तुझ्या राजमंदिरात मी चातुर्मास्य-विधान करीन. पवित्र मृत्तिका ग्रहण होईपर्यंत माझी शुश्रूषा (सेवा) करावी. तेव्हा श्रेष्ठ राजाने ‘तसेच होवो’ असे म्हणून प्रतिज्ञा केली व मला म्हणाला.
Durvāsā (primary); narrator voice continues in the last pāda
Type: kshetra
Listener: the king (nṛpa)
Scene: Durvāsā speaks with authoritative calm inside a palace hall; the king listens attentively, hands folded; ritual items for vrata preparation are arranged; monsoon clouds hinted outside.
FAQs
Austerity (vrata) bears fruit when supported by disciplined service to the holy; obedience and sincerity are central to dharma.
The verse situates the practice within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha narrative; the exact tīrtha associated with mṛttikā-grahaṇa is contextually given elsewhere in the chapter.
Cāturmāsya-vidhāna (four-month observance) and śuśrūṣā (attentive service) until mṛttikā-grahaṇa (collection of sacred clay).