Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22
इमाञ्छ्लोकान्गायमानः प्रश्ररूपाञ्छृणुष्व तान् । मातृकां को विजानाति कतिधा कीदृशाक्षराम्
imāñchlokāngāyamānaḥ praśrarūpāñchṛṇuṣva tān | mātṛkāṃ ko vijānāti katidhā kīdṛśākṣarām
یہ اشلوک میں سوال کی صورت میں گاتا ہوں—انہیں سنو۔ ماترِکا (حروفِ تہجی) کو حقیقتاً کون جانتا ہے—وہ کتنی ہے اور اس میں کیسے کیسے حروف ہیں؟
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced); posing test-questions to identify the learned
Listener: ‘śṛṇuṣva’ indicates an addressed listener within the narrative (unspecified in the excerpt)
Scene: A questioner sings interrogative ślokas; sages listen. Behind them, a subtle mystical diagram of letters (varṇacakra) appears, suggesting Mātṛkā as a sacred matrix of sound.
FAQs
True learning is verifiable; knowledge is tested through precise understanding, not mere reputation.
No; this is a pedagogical passage about vidyā and examination.
None directly; it introduces a method of parīkṣā (testing) through doctrinal/linguistic questions.