Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 76
नित्यं प्रपूजयिष्यामस्तथान्येऽपि द्विजोत्तमाः । बालेनाऽनेन सार्धं ते सख्यमत्र स्थितं यतः । बालसख्यमिति ख्यातं नाम्ना तेन भविष्यति
nityaṃ prapūjayiṣyāmastathānye'pi dvijottamāḥ | bālenā'nena sārdhaṃ te sakhyamatra sthitaṃ yataḥ | bālasakhyamiti khyātaṃ nāmnā tena bhaviṣyati
«سنُداوم على عبادته، وكذلك سيفعل سائرُ أفضلِ ذوي الولادتين. ولأنّ صداقتَك مع هذا الطفل قد استقرّت هنا، فسيشتهر هذا الموضع باسم “بالاسخيا” (Bālasakhya).»
Ṛṣis (the sages)
Tirtha: Bālasakhya
Type: ghat
Listener: Dvijottama addressed; broader audience of pilgrims implied
Scene: A gathering of dvijottamas at the tīrtha proclaim continuous worship; the child and devotee stand together, symbolizing ‘friendship’; a sign/inscription metaphorically marks the place as ‘Bālasakhya’.
FAQs
Sacred geography is born from lived dharma—relationships, vows, and worship leave enduring sanctity in a place.
Bālasakhya-tīrtha, named because of the established ‘friendship with the child’ at this location.
Nitya-prapūjā—continual worship by the sages and other dvijas, sustaining the tīrtha’s sanctity.