Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 48
अजपाल इति ख्यातो नाम्ना च धरणीतले । सर्वेषां प्राणिनां त्वं च वल्लभो नृपसत्तम
ajapāla iti khyāto nāmnā ca dharaṇītale | sarveṣāṃ prāṇināṃ tvaṃ ca vallabho nṛpasattama
భూమిపై నీవు ‘అజపాల’ అనే నామంతో ప్రసిద్ధుడవు; మరియు ఓ నృపసత్తమా, నీవు సమస్త ప్రాణులకు ప్రియుడవు।
Unnamed narrator (within Pulastya’s narration-context in this adhyāya)
Listener: The addressed king (Ajapāla)
Scene: The king Ajapāla is shown among his people and animals—humans, cattle, birds—who look upon him with trust, indicating universal affection born of dharma.
FAQs
A righteous ruler becomes naturally beloved to beings; virtue expresses itself as universal welfare.
The broader passage belongs to the Kedāra-māhātmya stream within Arbuda-khaṇḍa, pointing toward Kedāra’s sanctity.
No direct rite is prescribed in this verse; it functions as praise of the king’s fame and goodness.