Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 48
कथं देव न जानासि यदुक्तं ब्रह्मणा तदा । दशावतारास्ते रंतुं मत्स्यकूर्मादयः पुरा
kathaṃ deva na jānāsi yaduktaṃ brahmaṇā tadā | daśāvatārāste raṃtuṃ matsyakūrmādayaḥ purā
“Wahai dewa, bagaimana engkau tidak mengetahui apa yang dikatakan Brahmā pada waktu itu—bahawa sepuluh avatāra-mu, bermula dengan Matsya dan Kūrma, dahulu kala menjelma demi lila ilahi?”
Unspecified speaker addressing a deity (likely in the ongoing dispute narrative; not explicit in snippet)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Addressed to a deity ('deva') in admonitory tone
Scene: A speaker admonishes a deity by recalling Brahmā’s earlier statement: the ten avatāras—Matsya, Kūrma, and others—appeared as divine sport.
FAQs
Divine incarnations arise for the protection and guidance of the world, and also as līlā within cosmic order.
The verse is part of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya, a sacred-geography context where such theological reminders support pilgrimage faith.
No ritual instruction is present in this verse.