Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12
एवं प्रकुर्वतस्तस्य शाकल्यस्य महात्मनः । पौरोहित्यं गतः कालः कियन्मात्रो द्विजोत्तमाः
evaṃ prakurvatastasya śākalyasya mahātmanaḥ | paurohityaṃ gataḥ kālaḥ kiyanmātro dvijottamāḥ
Tatkala Śākalya yang berhati agung terus bertindak demikian dalam jawatan pendeta diraja, berapakah lamanya masa telah berlalu baginya, wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwija?
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact named speaker not in snippet)
Listener: dvijottamāḥ (best of twice-born)
Scene: Sages or learned twice-born listeners ask about the duration of Śākalya’s priesthood as he continues his duties in a royal setting.
FAQs
Even within sacred narratives, dharma is tracked through time and conduct—one’s role (like priesthood) is judged by how it is performed over the course of life.
The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework, but this specific line does not name a tīrtha directly.
No direct rite is prescribed here; it introduces the duration of Śākalya’s priestly service.