Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 41
ते संति साक्षिमो देवा अस्मिन्नर्थे वदत्वरम् । अर्थेऽस्मिन्भव साक्षी त्वं केतक्या सह सुव्रते
te saṃti sākṣimo devā asminnarthe vadatvaram | arthe'sminbhava sākṣī tvaṃ ketakyā saha suvrate
“Para dewa itu menjadi saksi dalam hal ini—segeralah berkata menyokong. Dalam urusan ini engkau juga mesti menjadi saksi, wahai yang berbudi, bersama bunga ketakī.”
Brahmā (addressing Surabhī; Ketakī invoked as co-witness)
Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Audience within the Skanda Purāṇa frame
Scene: Brahmā urgently instructs that the devas are witnesses and commands Ketakī to testify; Ketakī flower personified, standing beside Surabhī, poised to be brought forward.
FAQs
Dharma condemns manufacturing witnesses; truth is not established by numbers but by integrity.
Kedāra-kṣetra remains the setting; the episode supports the Shaiva Mahātmya by contrasting human-like schemes with Śiva’s omniscience.
None; it focuses on testimony and moral responsibility.