Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 85
तमो निस्तीर्यते सम्य ग्यथा सवितृदर्शनात् । तथैव नेतरैस्तीर्थैर्न च क्षेत्रैर्मनोरमैः
tamo nistīryate samya gyathā savitṛdarśanāt | tathaiva netaraistīrthairna ca kṣetrairmanoramaiḥ
Just as darkness is wholly dispelled by the sight of the Sun, so too the inner darkness of sin is not removed in the same way by other tīrthas, nor even by delightful sacred regions.
Unknown (narrative voice not identifiable from the isolated verse; likely Purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Gokarṇa (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee steps into Gokarṇa as if into sunrise; darkness (personified) retreats, while other tīrthas appear as moonlit or lamp-lit—pleasant but less decisive.
FAQs
Some sacred places are portrayed as uniquely transformative—like sunlight to darkness—due to exceptional divine presence.
Gokarṇa, implicitly contrasted as superior to other tīrthas and kṣetras.
None explicitly; the verse uses a metaphor to emphasize the special efficacy of this pilgrimage.