Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21
जन्मान्तरकृतं पुण्यं परं कौतूहलं हि मे । कथयस्व प्रसादेन विस्तरेण द्विजोत्तम
janmāntarakṛtaṃ puṇyaṃ paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi me | kathayasva prasādena vistareṇa dvijottama
“Công đức ta đã tạo trong đời trước khiến ta vô cùng hiếu kỳ. Xin vì lòng từ mẫn, hỡi bậc tối thượng trong hàng hai lần sinh, hãy kể cho ta đầy đủ và tường tận.”
Rājā (the King)
Listener: Vasiṣṭha (addressed as द्विजोत्तम)
Scene: A king (or noble seeker) with folded hands questions a radiant sage seated in an āśrama; palm-leaf manuscripts, sacrificial fire, and a calm forest backdrop signal a dharma-kathā beginning.
FAQs
It affirms continuity of karma across lives and encourages seeking dharmic understanding from realized teachers.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is an appeal for explanation within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa context.
None; it requests a detailed account of prior-life merit.