Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26
यावदित्थं चिंतयति स त्वाष्ट्रो वनमध्यगः । तावत्तदेव संप्राप्तस्तेनैकोऽदर्शि तापसः
yāvaditthaṃ ciṃtayati sa tvāṣṭro vanamadhyagaḥ | tāvattadeva saṃprāptastenaiko'darśi tāpasaḥ
த்வஷ்ட்ரியின் புதல்வன் (த்வாஷ்ட்ரன்) வனத்தின் நடுவில் இவ்வாறு சிந்தித்துக் கொண்டிருந்தபோது, அதே கணத்தில் அங்கே ஒரு தனித் தவசி வந்து அவனுக்குத் தோன்றினார்।
Narrator (Skanda speaking to Agastya, implied by Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical frame)
Scene: A solitary forest clearing: Tvāṣṭra stands absorbed in thought; from the shaded path a lone tapasvin emerges, radiant yet simple, catching the seeker’s gaze.
FAQs
When a seeker is inwardly contemplating, guidance appears—often through a realized ascetic—by the quiet working of dharma.
The broader context is the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (glorification of Kāśī/Varanasi), though this verse itself sets the scene in a forest before the Kāśī teaching unfolds.
None in this verse; it introduces the moment of meeting the ascetic who will later instruct.