Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2
तीर्थानामुत्तमं तीर्थं क्षेत्राणां क्षेत्रमुत्तमम् । तत्रैव नैमिषारण्ये सौनकाद्यास्तपोधनाः । दीर्घसत्रं प्रकुर्वंतः सत्रिणः कर्मचेतसः
tīrthānāmuttamaṃ tīrthaṃ kṣetrāṇāṃ kṣetramuttamam | tatraiva naimiṣāraṇye saunakādyāstapodhanāḥ | dīrghasatraṃ prakurvaṃtaḥ satriṇaḥ karmacetasaḥ
Im Naimiṣāraṇya—dem höchsten unter den Tīrthas und dem vortrefflichsten der heiligen Gebiete—vollzogen Śaunaka und die anderen Weisen, reich an Askese, ein langes Opferkollegium, den Geist auf die rituelle Pflicht gerichtet.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: Purāṇic recital frame at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tirtha: Naimiṣāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and other sages at Naimiṣāraṇya
Scene: A forest hermitage at Naimiṣāraṇya: Śaunaka and many sages sit around a sacrificial fire conducting a long satra; ladles, kuśa grass, and ritual vessels are prominent; the atmosphere is timeless and contemplative.
FAQs
Holy places and sustained sacrifice create a sacred setting where dharma is preserved through listening and recitation.
Naimiṣāraṇya is explicitly praised as supreme among tīrthas and kṣetras.
A dīrgha-satra (long sacrificial session) being performed by sages devoted to karma (ritual duty).