Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
कोऽयं तवानुगो रौद्रो दृश्यते चांत्यजाकृतिः । एतत्सर्वं समाचक्ष्व पृच्छतो मम सन्मुने
ko'yaṃ tavānugo raudro dṛśyate cāṃtyajākṛtiḥ | etatsarvaṃ samācakṣva pṛcchato mama sanmune
“Và kẻ tùy tùng hung dữ đang theo Ngài kia là ai, lại hiện ra như kẻ tiện dân? Xin bậc hiền thánh nói rõ mọi điều, vì con đang thưa hỏi.”
Mārkaṇḍa
Scene: A questioning interlocutor addresses a serene sage; behind the sage stands a fierce-looking attendant with caṇḍāla markers—darkened ash-smears, rough garments, intense gaze—creating a contrast of sanctity and liminality.
FAQs
Purāṇic narratives often use startling conditions (like an outcaste form) to explore karma, purification, and the possibility of uplift through dharma and sacred refuge.
The immediate narrative frame remains the Arbuda/Acaleśvara sanctuary, though the verse itself centers on identifying the companion.
None explicitly; the focus is on inquiry that sets up an explanation of the companion’s condition and its remedy.