Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 49
वृक्षस्थां ददृशो बालामुवाच नृपसत्तम । मन्नाथः पृच्छति त्वां तु कासि त्वं क्व गमिष्यसि
vṛkṣasthāṃ dadṛśo bālāmuvāca nṛpasattama | mannāthaḥ pṛcchati tvāṃ tu kāsi tvaṃ kva gamiṣyasi
மரத்தில் அமர்ந்திருந்த அந்த இளம்பெண்ணைக் கண்ட தூதன் கூறினான்— “அரசர்களில் சிறந்தவரே, என் ஆண்டவன் கேட்கிறான்— நீ யார்? எங்கே செல்கிறாய்?”
Kaṇva’s messenger (dūta)
Tirtha: Somanātha (local tīrtha referenced in Revā-khaṇḍa narrative)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical frame; not stated in verse)
Scene: A royal messenger in travel attire looks up at a young maiden seated upon a tree branch; the forest/tīrtha grove frames a charged, uncanny meeting.
FAQs
Sacred encounters often begin with simple questions; identity and destination are central to karmic revelation in Purāṇic storytelling.
The Revā-khaṇḍa locale near the saṅgama and garden precinct where the maiden is found.
None.