Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
मृकण्ड उवाच । कस्मात्त्वं विप्रशार्दूल वीक्ष्येमं मम दारकम् । सुचिरं विस्मयाविष्टस्ततोऽभूः सस्मिताननः
mṛkaṇḍa uvāca | kasmāttvaṃ vipraśārdūla vīkṣyemaṃ mama dārakam | suciraṃ vismayāviṣṭastato'bhūḥ sasmitānanaḥ
मृकंड म्हणाला—हे विप्रशार्दूल! माझ्या या बालकाकडे पाहून तू इतका वेळ विस्मयग्रस्त का राहिलास, आणि नंतर तुझे मुख स्मितयुक्त का झाले?
Mṛkaṇḍu
Scene: Mṛkaṇḍu addresses the brāhmaṇa respectfully (‘vipraśārdūla’), gesturing toward the child; the wise man’s smile lingers, suggesting a concealed insight about the child’s fate.
FAQs
Dharma includes honest inquiry—seeking reasons from the learned before acting.
The broader chapter belongs to the Tīrthamāhātmya of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa; this verse itself does not name a particular tīrtha.
No ritual is prescribed here; it introduces the cause for the brāhmaṇa’s reaction.