Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 2
नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम् । देवीं सरस्वतीं चैव ततो जयमुदीरयेत्
nārāyaṇaṃ namaskṛtya naraṃ caiva narottamam | devīṃ sarasvatīṃ caiva tato jayamudīrayet
नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्। देवीं सरस्वतीं चैव ततः जयमुदीरयेत्॥
Narratorial invocation (standard Purāṇic/Vyāsa-style maṅgala)
Listener: All intended hearers/reciters
Scene: A triadic invocation tableau: Nārāyaṇa enthroned with śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma; beside/near him Nara (ascetic-sage form) in meditation; Sarasvatī with vīṇā and white lotus; a reciter with folded hands begins the text, ‘jaya’ inscribed above.
FAQs
Sacred study should start with humility and salutations—aligning devotion (Nārāyaṇa), dharma (Nara), and inspired speech (Sarasvatī).
The larger section is Ayodhyā-māhātmya, though this verse is a general invocation rather than a site-description.
Begin recitation with namaskāra to Nārāyaṇa, Nara, and Sarasvatī, followed by uttering “jaya” as an auspicious commencement.