Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9
अतस्त्वां परिपृच्छामि धर्मतीर्थाश्रयं कवे । बहूनि सन्ति तीर्थानि बहुशो मे श्रुतानि च
atastvāṃ paripṛcchāmi dharmatīrthāśrayaṃ kave | bahūni santi tīrthāni bahuśo me śrutāni ca
অতএব, হে কবি, ধর্ম ও তীর্থের আশ্রয়স্বরূপ, আমি তোমাকে জিজ্ঞাসা করি। তীর্থ বহু আছে, এবং আমি সেগুলির কথা বারবার অনেক শুনেছি।
Śaunaka
Listener: Śaunaka
Scene: Śaunaka leaning forward in inquiry, gesturing toward an imagined map of many sacred places; Sūta poised to begin a systematic account; surrounding sages attentive, suggesting the start of a pilgrimage-catalogue narrative.
FAQs
Pilgrimage knowledge should be sought from dharmic authorities; inquiry is itself a dharma when done with reverence.
No single tīrtha yet; the verse introduces a broader inquiry into sacred geography that will culminate in Revā’s praise.
None explicit; it establishes the method—paripraśna (earnest questioning) as the gateway to tīrtha-dharma.