Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
सूत उवाच । पूर्वं किंचिन्महद्भूतं निर्गतं धरणीतलात् । अपूर्वं रौद्रमत्युग्रं कृष्ण दंतं भयानकम्
sūta uvāca | pūrvaṃ kiṃcinmahadbhūtaṃ nirgataṃ dharaṇītalāt | apūrvaṃ raudramatyugraṃ kṛṣṇa daṃtaṃ bhayānakam
Sūta đáp: “Thuở xưa, có một hữu thể khổng lồ trồi lên từ mặt đất—chưa từng có, đầy cuồng nộ, cực kỳ hung bạo, răng đen sì và đáng kinh hãi.”
Sūta
Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya assembly, implied)
Scene: From a cracked earth-surface a colossal, unprecedented, wrathful being rises—black-toothed, terrifying—dust and smoke billowing as the ground splits.
FAQs
Pilgrimage lore often frames tīrthas against a backdrop of chaos subdued by dharma—reminding devotees that sacred order is established through divine and righteous action.
The verse is part of the lead-up narrative connected to Vāstupada Tīrtha, explaining the circumstances behind its sanctity.
None; this is narrative setup (itihāsa) rather than instruction.