Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15
नान्यथा पूरितुं शक्यो बिलोऽयं त्रिदशाधिप । तं मुक्त्वा पर्वत श्रेष्ठं सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्
nānyathā pūrituṃ śakyo bilo'yaṃ tridaśādhipa | taṃ muktvā parvata śreṣṭhaṃ satyametanmayoditam
हे त्रिदशाधिप! हा बिल दुसऱ्या कोणत्याही प्रकारे भरता येणार नाही. त्या पर्वतश्रेष्ठास मुक्त केल्यावाचून हे कार्य होणार नाही—हे सत्य मी सांगतो.
Unnamed narrator (addressing Indra as tridaśādhipa)
Tirtha: Nāga-bila (within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra)
Type: cave
Listener: Indra (Tridaśādhipa)
Scene: A dark, yawning cavern (bila) before the gods; a speaker solemnly declaring that only by releasing/bringing the ‘best mountain’ can it be filled—an oath-like moment of cosmic logistics.
FAQs
Some dharmic tasks have a specific ordained means; forcing alternatives fails, while truthfully following the destined method preserves sacred order.
Nāga-bila is central, its very ‘filling’ portrayed as crucial to the sanctity and safety of the region.
No ritual; it emphasizes the necessary sacred action—releasing/bringing the mountain to fill the cavern.