Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12
भक्त्या तु परया राजन्यावदाभूतसम्प्लवम् । अंशावतरणाद्विष्णोः सूतो भूत्वा महामतिः
bhaktyā tu parayā rājanyāvadābhūtasamplavam | aṃśāvataraṇādviṣṇoḥ sūto bhūtvā mahāmatiḥ
Wahai Raja, dengan bhakti yang tertinggi—hingga ke penghujung pralaya (peleburan kosmos)—melalui penjelmaan sebahagian daripada Viṣṇu, insan yang berakal besar itu menjadi seorang sūta (kusir/penyair pujian).
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā (contextual)
Type: river
Listener: King (explicit: 'O King')
Scene: A great-minded devotee, glowing with devotion, is shown transformed into a sūta—holding reins or a bardic instrument—while a subtle aura indicates Viṣṇu’s partial descent empowering his service through ages up to pralaya.
FAQs
Supreme bhakti is portrayed as enduring beyond ordinary time, and divine grace can assign sacred roles for dharma’s preservation.
The verse continues the Dārutīrtha origin narrative within Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā region).
No specific rite is prescribed; the focus is on parā-bhakti and divine aṃśāvatāra.