Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16
व्रतव्याजेन राजेन्द्र न तु गौरी व्यजानत । कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य नारदो भगवान्मुनिः । कैवल्यज्ञानसंपन्नस्तत्रायातः परिभ्रमन्
vratavyājena rājendra na tu gaurī vyajānata | kasyacittvatha kālasya nārado bhagavānmuniḥ | kaivalyajñānasaṃpannastatrāyātaḥ paribhraman
हे राजेंद्र! व्रताच्या या बहाण्यामुळे गौरीला खरे काय घडते आहे ते कळले नाही. काही काळानंतर कैवल्यज्ञानसंपन्न भगवान् मुनि नारद भ्रमण करीत तेथे आले.
Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (listener implied by 'rājendra')
Tirtha: Arbuda Gaṅgā-sannidhi tīrtha (contextual)
Type: kund
Listener: A king (rājendra)
Scene: Gaurī remains unaware of Śiva’s true intent behind the vow; time passes; Nārada, radiant and ascetic, arrives with vīṇā, embodying liberation-knowledge.
FAQs
Purāṇic narratives often show how divine play can be veiled; liberating insight (kaivalya-jñāna) is represented by sages like Nārada who reveal hidden meanings.
The Arbuda region is the narrative frame; its sanctity is heightened by the arrival of Nārada and the presence of Śiva-related observances.
Vrata is referenced as the outward form of Śiva’s observance, though used here as a narrative device (vyāja).