Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 78
वक्तुं प्रचक्रमे बाल्याद्यद्वृत्तं पूर्वजन्मनि । नमस्कृत्य गुरुं पूर्वं ब्राह्मणान्क्षत्रियांस्तथा
vaktuṃ pracakrame bālyādyadvṛttaṃ pūrvajanmani | namaskṛtya guruṃ pūrvaṃ brāhmaṇānkṣatriyāṃstathā
Kemudian dia mula menceritakan peristiwa kelahiran terdahulu sejak zaman kanak-kanak. Mula-mula dia bersujud kepada gurunya, dan demikian juga kepada para brāhmaṇa serta para kṣatriya.
Narrator (contextual; a character begins speaking—speaker not explicitly named in this verse)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka et al. (implied frame)
Scene: A narrator begins recounting a former-birth story; he first bows to his guru, then to assembled brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas seated in a semi-circle, with King Bhoja presiding.
FAQs
Any sacred narration should begin with humility—honoring the guru and the custodians of dharma.
The broader context is the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, though this verse itself is a narrative transition.
No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse models respectful salutations (namaskāra) before speaking.