Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5
कोपि तत्र समायातः पृष्ठे लग्नैर्जनैर्द्विजाः । ततश्चौरोऽपि तं दृष्ट्वा मौनस्थं मुनिसत्तमम्
kopi tatra samāyātaḥ pṛṣṭhe lagnairjanairdvijāḥ | tataścauro'pi taṃ dṛṣṭvā maunasthaṃ munisattamam
โอ้ทวิชะทั้งหลาย! แล้วผู้คนบางพวกก็ตามรอยมาถึงที่นั้นติด ๆ กัน และโจรเองเมื่อเห็นมุนีผู้ประเสริฐดำรงอยู่ในมาวนะ คือความสงัดเงียบ…
Sūta (contextual; addressing dvijas)
Tirtha: Viśvāmitrī
Type: tirtha
Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ
Scene: A group of pursuers rush in, pointing and scanning; the thief notices the silent sage and moves to exploit the situation; Māṇḍavya remains motionless in mauna, prayer beads or darbha in hand, creating a poignant still center amid commotion.
FAQs
The vow of silence (mauna) is portrayed as a powerful discipline that shapes how a sage responds to conflict.
The narrative remains situated at the purifying Viśvāmitrī Tīrtha within the tīrtha-māhātmya.
Mauna-sthāna—observance of silence—is implied as an active vow/discipline of the sage.