Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2
कीदृशं दर्शनं तस्याः फलं स्पर्शेऽथवा विभो । स्नाने जाप्येऽथवा दान उपवासे तथा मुने
kīdṛśaṃ darśanaṃ tasyāḥ phalaṃ sparśe'thavā vibho | snāne jāpye'thavā dāna upavāse tathā mune
ما طبيعة الثواب من مجرد رؤيتها، أيها الجبار؟ وما الثمرة من لمسها، ومن الاغتسال فيها، ومن الجَپا (ترديد الذكر)، ومن الصدقة، وكذلك من الصيام، أيها المُني؟
Yudhiṣṭhira
Tirtha: Kāverī (implied; fruits to be detailed in subsequent verses)
Type: river
Listener: Audience of sages (frame); within episode: Mārkaṇḍeya is being addressed
Scene: A devoted questioner stands on a riverbank with folded hands, asking a sage about the fruits of seeing, touching, bathing, japa, charity, and fasting connected to the sacred river.
FAQs
Sacred rivers sanctify through multiple modes—sight, touch, bath, mantra, charity, and austerity—each carrying graded spiritual merit.
Kāverī as a tīrtha, with emphasis on her ritual interface: darśana, sparśa, and snāna.
The verse lists core tīrtha-rites to be evaluated: darśana, sparśa, snāna, japa, dāna, and upavāsa.