Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11
तस्मिन्वने संचरतो धर्मगुप्तस्य भूपतेः । अभूद्विभावरी विप्रास्त मसावृतदिङ्मुखा
tasminvane saṃcarato dharmaguptasya bhūpateḥ | abhūdvibhāvarī viprāsta masāvṛtadiṅmukhā
ดูก่อนพราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย เมื่อพระราชาธรรมคุปต์เสด็จจาริกอยู่ในพนานั้น ราตรีก็คลี่คลุมลง และทิศทั้งปวงถูกม่านแห่งความมืดปกปิด
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Brāhma Khaṇḍa narratives)
Tirtha: Setu (Rāmeśvara-Setu region)
Type: kshetra
Listener: brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ) addressed in the verse
Scene: A king in a dense forest as dusk collapses into night; the horizon and directions dissolve into a single mass of darkness, suggesting a sacred yet perilous limen.
FAQs
Even righteous rulers face obscurity and uncertainty; dharma is tested when guidance seems hidden, as in the darkness of night.
The broader narrative sits in Setukhaṇḍa, associated with Setu/Rāmeśvara pilgrimage geography, though this verse itself describes the forest setting.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets the scene for subsequent dharmic action.