Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33
ईश्वरेण विना सर्वे वयं लोकाश्च दुःखिताः । तत्कथ्यतां स भगवान्कुत्रास्ते परमेश्वरः
īśvareṇa vinā sarve vayaṃ lokāśca duḥkhitāḥ | tatkathyatāṃ sa bhagavānkutrāste parameśvaraḥ
หากปราศจากพระอีศวร พวกเราทั้งหมดและโลกทั้งหลายย่อมตกอยู่ในทุกข์ ดังนั้นโปรดบอกเถิดว่า พระภควานผู้เป็นปรเมศวรนั้น บัดนี้ประทับอยู่ ณ ที่ใด
Devas (collectively), questioning the sages (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Pilgrims/sages with anxious faces stand at a sacred riverbank, hands folded, asking where the Supreme Lord dwells; the horizon hints at a distant shrine or mountain where the answer lies.
FAQs
Separation from Īśvara leads to duḥkha; the remedy is to seek the Lord’s presence—often revealed through tīrthas, sages, and divine abodes.
The verse sets up the search for the Lord’s abode; the specific destination is clarified in the subsequent narrative (moving toward a divine realm).
None explicitly; it emphasizes inquiry (praśna) and guidance from realized sages as the first step on a sacred journey.