Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38
पर्यटामि तदारण्ये धनुषा मृगयारतः । सिंहो व्याघ्रो गजेन्द्रो वा शरभो वा द्विजो त्तमाः
paryaṭāmi tadāraṇye dhanuṣā mṛgayārataḥ | siṃho vyāghro gajendro vā śarabho vā dvijo ttamāḥ
Wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwija, dahulu aku merayau di rimba itu, dengan busur di tangan, bersuka dalam perburuan—sama ada singa, harimau, gajah perkasa, ataupun makhluk śarabha yang garang.
Unspecified narrator (a kṣatriya/hunter figure speaking to brāhmaṇas), within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame
Listener: dvija-sattama (addressed)
Scene: A hunter strides through dense forest with bow drawn; powerful animals (lion, tiger, elephant) appear as targets, emphasizing the extremity of his violence.
FAQs
Worldly pursuits like hunting form the narrative backdrop that later turns the mind toward dharma and tīrtha-based purification.
This verse itself sets the story scene; the tīrtha glorification unfolds in the surrounding Tīrthamāhātmya of Adhyāya 220.
None in this verse; it describes the speaker’s prior conduct in the forest.