Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63
ततः शोषं व्रजेदाशु समुद्रः सरितां पतिः । और्वेण पीयमानोऽत्र ततो वृष्टिर्न जायते । वृष्ट्यभावाज्जगन्नाशः सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्
tataḥ śoṣaṃ vrajedāśu samudraḥ saritāṃ patiḥ | aurveṇa pīyamāno'tra tato vṛṣṭirna jāyate | vṛṣṭyabhāvājjagannāśaḥ satyametanmayoditam
ครั้นแล้วมหาสมุทร—เจ้าแห่งสายน้ำทั้งหลาย—จักแห้งเหือดโดยเร็ว เพราะถูกไฟอุรวะดื่มกลืน ณ ที่นี้; แล้วฝนย่อมไม่บังเกิด. เมื่อไร้ฝน โลกย่อมพินาศ—นี่คือสัจจะที่ข้าพเจ้ากล่าว
Deva (likely Śiva) speaking to Devī
Tirtha: Samudra (as sacred support of rains)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)
Scene: A prophetic scene: the ocean receding, cracked seabed exposed; a hidden fiery mouth (Aurva/Vāḍava) drinking waters; skies empty of clouds; parched fields and anxious beings—Śiva’s declaration hovering as a solemn truth.
FAQs
It teaches interdependence in creation: when the sustaining waters are disrupted, cosmic cycles fail and societal life collapses—hence dharmic preservation is essential.
Gaṅgā’s regulated presence is implied as crucial for maintaining the ocean–rain cycle that supports all tīrthas and living worlds.
No direct rite is described; the verse supports the broader Tīrthamāhātmya theme that reverence for sacred waters upholds the world.