Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23
सूत उवाच । तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा वसिष्ठो भगवांस्ततः । तमुवाच विहस्योच्चैः कुरुष्वैवं महीपते
sūta uvāca | tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā vasiṣṭho bhagavāṃstataḥ | tamuvāca vihasyoccaiḥ kuruṣvaivaṃ mahīpate
สูตะกล่าวว่า: ครั้นได้ยินถ้อยคำนั้น พระวสิษฐะผู้ควรบูชาก็หัวเราะเสียงดัง แล้วกล่าวแก่เขาว่า “ถ้าเช่นนั้นก็จงทำดังนั้นเถิด โอ้มหีปติ (พระราชา)!”
Sūta
Scene: Sūta narrates; Vasiṣṭha laughs aloud, a rare flash of irony, and gestures permissively toward Triśaṅku; the king appears emboldened; sages look uneasy, sensing impending upheaval.
FAQs
A sage’s refusal can remain firm even under threat; the narrative also signals consequences when sacred authority is challenged through ego-driven insistence.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative connective tissue within the Tīrthamāhātmya.
No prescription; it records Vasiṣṭha’s dismissive assent to the king’s stated plan.