Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26
यावदित्थं चिंतयति स त्वाष्ट्रो वनमध्यगः । तावत्तदेव संप्राप्तस्तेनैकोऽदर्शि तापसः
yāvaditthaṃ ciṃtayati sa tvāṣṭro vanamadhyagaḥ | tāvattadeva saṃprāptastenaiko'darśi tāpasaḥ
Tatkala putera Tvaṣṭṛ (Tvāṣṭra) demikian merenung di tengah rimba, pada saat itu juga seorang pertapa yang sendirian tiba di sana dan tampak olehnya.
Narrator (Skanda speaking to Agastya, implied by Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical frame)
Scene: A solitary forest clearing: Tvāṣṭra stands absorbed in thought; from the shaded path a lone tapasvin emerges, radiant yet simple, catching the seeker’s gaze.
FAQs
When a seeker is inwardly contemplating, guidance appears—often through a realized ascetic—by the quiet working of dharma.
The broader context is the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (glorification of Kāśī/Varanasi), though this verse itself sets the scene in a forest before the Kāśī teaching unfolds.
None in this verse; it introduces the moment of meeting the ascetic who will later instruct.