Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 79
अन्धकाय स वृत्तांतं कथयामास कृत्स्नशः । नैताः स्त्रियो दनुश्रेष्ठ युद्धार्थं समुपस्थिताः
andhakāya sa vṛttāṃtaṃ kathayāmāsa kṛtsnaśaḥ | naitāḥ striyo danuśreṣṭha yuddhārthaṃ samupasthitāḥ
அவன் அந்தகனுக்கு அந்த நிகழ்வை முழுவதுமாகக் கூறினான்— “தனுவின் சிறந்தவனே! போருக்காக வந்துள்ள இவர்கள் சாதாரணப் பெண்கள் அல்லர்.”
Unspecified narrator (context: a messenger/adviser addressing Andhaka)
Scene: Nārada stands before Andhaka, gesturing in explanation; Andhaka—regal yet tense—listens amid a camp or battlefield edge; behind them, fierce feminine figures are glimpsed, hinting they are not human.
FAQs
It cautions against mistaking divine śakti for ordinary worldly power; dharma requires discernment before conflict.
This verse functions within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame but does not name a specific tīrtha in this line; it sets up the sacred narrative context.
No ritual is prescribed in this verse; it is a narrative warning and identification.