Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 86
अथ ते विस्मिताः सर्वे देवशर्मपुरःसराः । ब्राह्मणास्तं समुद्वीक्ष्य वेदोच्चारपरायणम्
atha te vismitāḥ sarve devaśarmapuraḥsarāḥ | brāhmaṇāstaṃ samudvīkṣya vedoccāraparāyaṇam
அப்போது தேவசர்மா முன்னிலையில் இருந்த அனைத்து பிராமணர்களும், அவனை வேத உச்சரிப்பில் முழுமையாக ஈடுபட்டவனாகக் கண்டு வியந்தனர்।
Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice)
Type: kshetra
Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)
Scene: Devaśarmā and the brāhmaṇas stand stunned, gazing at the battered man who continues unwavering Vedic recitation; the crowd’s aggression dissolves into reverent silence.
FAQs
Dharma can manifest unexpectedly; the wise pause when confronted with signs of sacred truth (like Vedic recitation) even amid conflict.
Not named in this verse; it continues the tīrtha-māhātmya storyline within Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
Implicit emphasis on Veda recitation (vedoccāra) as a sanctifying act, without a formal prescription.