Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2
ततो मुखात्तस्य घना महोल्बणा निश्चेरुरिन्द्रायुधतुल्यरूपाः । घोराः पयोदा जगदन्धकारं कुर्वन्त ईशानवरप्रयुक्ताः
tato mukhāttasya ghanā maholbaṇā niścerurindrāyudhatulyarūpāḥ | ghorāḥ payodā jagadandhakāraṃ kurvanta īśānavaraprayuktāḥ
پھر اُس کے دہن سے گھنے، نہایت ہیبت ناک بادل نکلے، جن کی صورتیں اندردھنش کے مانند تھیں؛ وہ خوفناک بارش کے بادل، ایشان کے ور سے محرّک ہو کر، سارے جگت پر تاریکی پھیلا گئے۔
Śrī Markaṇḍeya
Listener: Kingly interlocutor (continuation)
Scene: From the mouth of a vast cosmic form, enormous thunderclouds billow forth; rainbows arc within them like Indra’s bow; the universe below is swallowed in shadow, hinting at imminent rains and renewal.
FAQs
Cosmic processes operate under divine governance; even destruction and renewal move by the Lord’s sanction, reminding one to align with dharma.
The Revā Khaṇḍa context glorifies Narmadā, but this verse specifically depicts the pralaya-clouds rather than a localized tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes divine agency (Īśāna’s boon) behind cosmic events.