Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21
अद्य नो दिवसः पुण्यः स्थानमद्योत्तमं त्विदम् । यत्त्वया विप्रप्रवर स्वयमागमनं कृतम्
adya no divasaḥ puṇyaḥ sthānamadyottamaṃ tvidam | yattvayā viprapravara svayamāgamanaṃ kṛtam
اليوم يومُنا مبارك، وهذا الموضع قد صار اليوم في غاية السموّ، لأنك أنت بنفسك—يا أفضلَ البراهمة—قد تفضّلت بالمجيء إلى هنا.
Brāhmaṇas (headed by Hārīta) addressing the Atithi
Type: kshetra
Scene: The brāhmaṇas proclaim the day blessed and the place exalted, gesturing toward the guest as the cause of auspiciousness.
FAQs
The presence of a virtuous guest sanctifies time and space; holiness is intensified through contact with the righteous.
The verse glorifies the immediate “place” (sthāna) by the guest’s arrival, but does not name a particular tīrtha.
No explicit ritual; the dharmic principle is honoring the guest as a source of puṇya.