Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 138
इंद्रद्युम्न उवाच । तव कस्मादुलूकत्वं शीघ्रं तन्मे प्रकीर्तय । एतन्मे कौतुकं भावि यत्ते ह्यायुरनन्तकम् । उलूकत्वं च संजातं रौद्रं लोकविगर्हितम्
iṃdradyumna uvāca | tava kasmādulūkatvaṃ śīghraṃ tanme prakīrtaya | etanme kautukaṃ bhāvi yatte hyāyuranantakam | ulūkatvaṃ ca saṃjātaṃ raudraṃ lokavigarhitam
Indradyumna berkata: “Mengapa engkau menjadi burung hantu? Ceritakan kepadaku segera. Ini menimbulkan kehairananku: sesungguhnya umurmu seakan tiada bertepi, namun keadaan sebagai burung hantu telah timbul—mengerikan dan dicela oleh dunia.”
Indradyumna
Listener: Ulūka
Scene: The king, astonished, gestures toward the owl, contrasting the creature’s ominous form with an aura of longevity; the scene carries moral tension—grace and curse intertwined.
FAQs
Even great longevity can coexist with a cursed condition—karma and śāpa shape embodiment, urging inquiry into righteous conduct and expiation.
Not named in this verse; it functions within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya storyline as a prompt for a karmic explanation.
None directly; it asks for the cause behind the condition, which is explained in subsequent verses.
Read Skanda Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.