Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 41
अत्रास्य माता त्वं देवि गुप्तक्षेत्रस्यकारणम् । तीर्थयात्रा वृथा तेषां नार्च्चयंतीह त्वां च ये
atrāsya mātā tvaṃ devi guptakṣetrasyakāraṇam | tīrthayātrā vṛthā teṣāṃ nārccayaṃtīha tvāṃ ca ye
Here, O Goddess, you are the very Mother of this place and the cause of this hidden sacred field. For those who do not worship you here, pilgrimages to holy places become fruitless.
Nārada
Tirtha: Gupta-kṣetra of Kolambā (with Kumāreśa)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pārtha
Scene: Nārada addresses the Devī as the Mother of the place; behind her, the ‘hidden kṣetra’ is suggested by veiled gates or a subtle aura; pilgrims who ignore her are shown walking away with dimmed light, contrasting with worshippers receiving radiance.
FAQs
Pilgrimage bears fruit when it includes devotion to the presiding deity of the kṣetra—mere travel without worship is spiritually hollow.
A “gupta-kṣetra” (hidden sacred region) presided over by the Goddess; the passage frames the site’s sanctity through her motherhood and protection.
Arcana (worship) of the Goddess at the site is implied as the required practice for pilgrimage to be meaningful.