Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13
अत्र भूमितले विप्र सर्वेषां तीर्थमुत्तमम् । अल्पकालेन सन्तुष्टिं यत्र याति महेश्वरः । वासुदेवोऽथवा ब्रह्मा ह्येतच्छीघ्रं वदस्व मे
atra bhūmitale vipra sarveṣāṃ tīrthamuttamam | alpakālena santuṣṭiṃ yatra yāti maheśvaraḥ | vāsudevo'thavā brahmā hyetacchīghraṃ vadasva me
يا أيها البرهمن، على وجه هذه الأرض أيُّ تيرثا هو الأسمى بين جميع التيرثات، حيث يرضى في زمنٍ يسير ماهيشڤرا، أو فاسوديفا، أو براهما؟ فقل لي ذلك سريعًا.
The king/ruler addressing Vasiṣṭha
Tirtha: Sarvottama Tīrtha (unnamed in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The king earnestly questions Vasiṣṭha, gesturing toward the earth as if seeking the single सर्वोत्तम tīrtha; above, subtle iconographic hints of Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā as witnesses.
FAQs
Pilgrimage is sought as a swift path to divine grace; the seeker asks for the most efficacious sacred place.
The verse asks for the सर्वोत्तम tīrtha but does not name it; identification follows in subsequent verses.
No specific rite is stated; the focus is on choosing a tīrtha that grants quick divine satisfaction.