Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1
श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत्तु राजेन्द्र बदर्याश्रममुत्तमम् । सर्वतीर्थवरं पुण्यं कथितं शंभुना पुरा
śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchettu rājendra badaryāśramamuttamam | sarvatīrthavaraṃ puṇyaṃ kathitaṃ śaṃbhunā purā
قال شري ماركاندييا: «ثمّ، يا خيرَ الملوك، ينبغي أن تمضي إلى بادرياشْرَما السامي، الطاهر والأفضل بين جميع التيِرثات، وقد أعلن شَمْبهو (شيفا) قداسته من قبل».
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Badaryāśrama
Type: kshetra
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira to proceed northward to Himalayan Badaryāśrama; backdrop shifts from riverine plains to snow peaks, deodar forests, and an austere āśrama; a sense of ascent and sanctity.
FAQs
Pilgrimage to a praised tīrtha, undertaken with reverence, is presented as a direct means to accrue great purity and merit.
Badaryāśrama (Badrinath region), acclaimed as the श्रेष्ठ among tīrthas.
The prescription is the act of going (tīrtha-yātrā) to Badaryāśrama; no further rite is specified in this verse.