Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27
मनसा चिंतितं ह्येतत्पद्मान्यादाय करोम्यहम् । विक्रयं येन चाहारो भवेन्मम च सर्वथा
manasā ciṃtitaṃ hyetatpadmānyādāya karomyaham | vikrayaṃ yena cāhāro bhavenmama ca sarvathā
तो मनात विचार करू लागला—“ही कमळे तोडून नेऊन मी विकीन, ज्यायोगे सर्व प्रकारे माझ्या अन्नाची व्यवस्था होईल.”
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)
Tirtha: Padma-kānana (contextual)
Type: kund
Listener: King (pārthiva-sattama)
Scene: A poor man gazes at blooming lotuses, calculating survival; his hands reach to gather flowers while his face shows worry and resolve.
FAQs
Even in distress, one seeks lawful means of sustenance; intention (saṅkalpa) becomes the first step toward later devotion and merit.
The broader context is Arbuda and the Kedāra/Śiva-temple setting that follows in the narrative (Kedāra mentioned in later verses).
None directly here; it sets up the circumstances that later lead to Śivarātri night-vigil (jāgaraṇa).