Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1
सूत उवाच । इत्युक्त्वोपररामथ पाण्डोः पुत्राय वै मुनिः । मृकण्डतनयो धीमान्सप्तकल्पस्मरः पुरः
sūta uvāca | ityuktvopararāmatha pāṇḍoḥ putrāya vai muniḥ | mṛkaṇḍatanayo dhīmānsaptakalpasmaraḥ puraḥ
สูตะกล่าวว่า ครั้นกล่าวดังนี้แล้ว ฤๅษีก็สงบนิ่งต่อหน้าบุตรแห่งปาณฑุ คือมารกัณฑेयผู้ทรงปัญญา บุตรแห่งมฤกัณฑุ ผู้ระลึกเหตุการณ์แห่งเจ็ดกัลป์ได้
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sauti)
Tirtha: Revā / Narmadā (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: assembled sages (śaunakādi tradition implied by Sūta frame)
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, serene and aged yet radiant, sits before Pāṇḍu’s son; a subtle cosmic backdrop hints at cycles of kalpas—stars, lotus of creation—while the sage concludes and falls silent.
FAQs
Purāṇic authority is grounded in realized sages: Mārkaṇḍeya’s vast memory across kalpas signals timeless dharma and trustworthy tīrtha-glory.
The verse is a narrative transition; it introduces Mārkaṇḍeya, who has been speaking about Revā/Narmadā and her tīrthas.
None; it is a framing verse identifying the speaker and listener and concluding a prior statement.