Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5
कथं विश्वमिदं जातं कर्मजातिप्रकल्पितम् । कथं वा भारतं खंडं शुश्रूषेय सदा मम
kathaṃ viśvamidaṃ jātaṃ karmajātiprakalpitam | kathaṃ vā bhārataṃ khaṃḍaṃ śuśrūṣeya sadā mama
“How did this universe come into being—this ordered world shaped in accordance with karma and the varieties of birth? And how is it that the region called Bhārata-khaṇḍa is ever to be served and revered by me?”
Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna)
Tirtha: Bhārata-khaṇḍa (as karma-bhūmi)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śrī Nārada
Scene: Arjuna asks two profound questions: the origin of the universe ordered by karma and births, and why Bhārata-khaṇḍa deserves continual service; the scene blends philosophical inquiry with a subtle vision of cosmic order behind the hermitage.
FAQs
The verse links cosmology with ethics: the world’s order is intelligible through karma, and Bhārata-khaṇḍa is to be approached with reverent service rooted in dharma.
No single tīrtha is specified; the verse elevates Bhārata-khaṇḍa broadly as a sacred civilizational landscape.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the emphasis is on śuśrūṣā—ongoing reverent service/attentiveness.