Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23
कथं राजा स देवेश सप्तद्वीपां वसुन्धराम् । शशास एक एवासौ कथं ते व्याधयः कृताः
kathaṃ rājā sa deveśa saptadvīpāṃ vasundharām | śaśāsa eka evāsau kathaṃ te vyādhayaḥ kṛtāḥ
Bagaimanakah raja itu, wahai Penguasa para dewa, memerintah bumi yang memiliki tujuh benua—seorang diri? Dan bagaimanakah penyakit-penyakit itu dijadikan?
Devī
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)
Scene: Devī poses two pointed questions to Īśvara: a solitary king ruling the seven continents and the origin of diseases; the composition shows Devī’s questioning gesture and Śiva’s calm, explanatory posture.
FAQs
Inquiry into dharma and causality is honored; understanding kingship and suffering requires listening to sacred explanation.
The question belongs to the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative cycle, rooted in Prabhāsa’s sanctity.
None; the verse is interrogative, setting up the forthcoming account of causation and royal attainment.