Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15
नान्यथा पूरितुं शक्यो बिलोऽयं त्रिदशाधिप । तं मुक्त्वा पर्वत श्रेष्ठं सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्
nānyathā pūrituṃ śakyo bilo'yaṃ tridaśādhipa | taṃ muktvā parvata śreṣṭhaṃ satyametanmayoditam
नान्यथा पूरयितुं शक्योऽयं बिलो, हे त्रिदशाधिप; तं पर्वतश्रेष्ठं विमोच्यैव सिद्धिर्भवति—सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्।
Unnamed narrator (addressing Indra as tridaśādhipa)
Tirtha: Nāga-bila (within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra)
Type: cave
Listener: Indra (Tridaśādhipa)
Scene: A dark, yawning cavern (bila) before the gods; a speaker solemnly declaring that only by releasing/bringing the ‘best mountain’ can it be filled—an oath-like moment of cosmic logistics.
FAQs
Some dharmic tasks have a specific ordained means; forcing alternatives fails, while truthfully following the destined method preserves sacred order.
Nāga-bila is central, its very ‘filling’ portrayed as crucial to the sanctity and safety of the region.
No ritual; it emphasizes the necessary sacred action—releasing/bringing the mountain to fill the cavern.