Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3
ऋषय ऊचुः । कस्मिन्काले विनिर्मुक्ता सा शक्तिस्तेन नो वद । किमर्थं स्वामिना तत्र किंप्रभावा वद स्वयम्
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kasminkāle vinirmuktā sā śaktistena no vada | kimarthaṃ svāminā tatra kiṃprabhāvā vada svayam
เหล่าฤๅษีกล่าวว่า: เขาปล่อยศักติ (หอกศักดิ์สิทธิ์) นั้นเมื่อกาลใด? โปรดบอกแก่เราเถิด. องค์ผู้เป็นนายของมันทรงตั้งไว้ที่นั่นด้วยเหตุใด และมีอานุภาพเช่นไร—ขอท่านกล่าวด้วยตนเอง.
Ṛṣis (Sages)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sūta (implied respondent in the next verse)
Scene: A circle of ṛṣis seated in a forest āśrama, palms joined, questioning the storyteller about a radiant spear/śakti associated with a holy place; the atmosphere is anticipatory, with a subtle divine glow hinting at the weapon’s presence.
FAQs
Sacred geography is validated through origin-questions: time, purpose, and power establish why a site/object is worthy of worship.
The inquiry concerns the Śakti and its associated kuṇḍa at the tīrtha described in Adhyāya 70.
No prescription here; it initiates the explanatory narrative by asking about the Śakti’s release, purpose, and potency.