Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16
तस्मादन्वेष्यतां वह्निर्यत्र तिष्ठति सांप्रतम् । यथा चरति मर्त्ये च तथा नीतिर्विधीयताम्
tasmādanveṣyatāṃ vahniryatra tiṣṭhati sāṃpratam | yathā carati martye ca tathā nītirvidhīyatām
ฉะนั้นพึงสืบเสาะหาอัคนีเทพว่า บัดนี้ประทับอยู่ ณ ที่ใด และตามที่ท่านกระทำอยู่ในโลกมนุษย์ ก็พึงวางนโยบายและอุบายอันสมควรให้เป็นไปตามนั้น
Devas (inferred: collective decision following their counsel)
Listener: Devas (and the primary audience within the frame narrative)
Scene: A council-like moment: divine figures decide to locate Agni, gesturing toward the earth’s expanse, mapping a search.
FAQs
When dharma is disrupted, restoration requires deliberate seeking, discernment, and right action aligned with the underlying cause.
No tīrtha is directly named; the verse is a decision-point in the Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative leading toward restoration.
A practical directive is implied: locate and re-establish Agni so yajña and dhārmic rites can resume.