Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 60
एतच्छ्रुत्वा महादेवो भूतस्य वदनाच्च्युतम् । कटिस्थं याज्ञवल्क्यं च मन्त्रयामास मन्त्रवित्
etacchrutvā mahādevo bhūtasya vadanāccyutam | kaṭisthaṃ yājñavalkyaṃ ca mantrayāmāsa mantravit
Mendengar hal itu, Mahādeva—yang arif dalam mantra—meneliti kata-kata yang terucap dari mulut makhluk itu, lalu bermusyawarah dengan Yājñavalkya yang berada di sisi pinggangnya.
Narrator (implied Vaiśampāyana) to Yudhiṣṭhira
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)
Type: river
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: Mahādeva listens intently, then turns to consult Yājñavalkya—depicted unusually as positioned at the deity’s waist (katī-stha), suggesting intimate guardianship or a miniature sage-form; the spirit’s utterance hangs in the air like visible syllables.
FAQs
Dharma is upheld through wise counsel and mantra-knowledge; even crises are met with discernment, not impulse.
The Revā (Narmadā) region is the broader sacred frame; the verse emphasizes mantra-counsel rather than praising a named tīrtha.
No explicit rite is prescribed, but the mention of mantra-vijñāna points to remedial spiritual measures guided by realized sages.