अथ काले गते देवि शुष्यत्यंबु शनैःशनैः । विदित्वा क्षीयमाणास्ता अपो जलनिधिस्ततः
atha kāle gate devi śuṣyatyaṃbu śanaiḥśanaiḥ | viditvā kṣīyamāṇāstā apo jalanidhistataḥ
Tatkala masa berlalu, wahai Dewi, air pun mulai mengering sedikit demi sedikit. Menyedari bahawa air itu kian susut, lautan pun menjadi cemas pada saat itu.
Narrator (within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya; traditional frame: Sūta speaking to sages)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (sāgara-tīra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī
Scene: A time-lapse tableau: the sea level subtly recedes; Varuṇa and ocean-personification look troubled; the horizon feels exposed, suggesting imbalance as waters thin.
When balance is lost, even vast resources decline—prompting humility and a return to divine refuge.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra and its coastal sacred landscape, where the ocean’s condition becomes part of the site’s sacred narrative.
None in this verse; it sets up the ensuing appeal for protection.