Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7
कौशिकोऽथ तमाहेदं प्रहस्य वचनं स्वयम् । कस्मात्कूर्म प्रनष्टोद्य विमुखोऽभ्यागतेष्वपि
kauśiko'tha tamāhedaṃ prahasya vacanaṃ svayam | kasmātkūrma pranaṣṭodya vimukho'bhyāgateṣvapi
ਤਦੋਂ ਕੌਸ਼ਿਕ ਨੇ ਹੱਸਦਿਆਂ ਉਸਨੂੰ ਆਪ ਇਹ ਬਚਨ ਕਿਹਾ: “ਹੇ ਕੱਛੂਏ, ਅੱਜ ਤੂੰ ਕਿਉਂ ਲੁਕ ਗਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਮੁੜ ਮੂੰਹ ਕਰ ਲਿਆ, ਜਦ ਕਿ ਅਤਿਥੀ ਵੀ ਆ ਪਹੁੰਚੇ ਹਨ?”
Kauśika
Scene: A sage (Kauśika) smiles and addresses a tortoise who has withdrawn into its shell or slipped away as visitors arrive; the setting suggests an āśrama edge near water or forest path where guests approach.
FAQs
Hospitality is dharma; turning away from sincere seekers/guests is treated as a moral lapse requiring explanation.
The setting remains the sacred lake region (Mānasa-saras implied), serving as the stage for dharmic instruction.
The implied prescription is atithi-satkāra—proper reception of guests—though the details are elaborated in the following verses.