शौनक उवाच । सूत श्रुता पुरास्माभिरुत्पत्तिर्गणपस्य च । क्षेत्रनाथः कथं जज्ञे वदैतच्छृण्वतां हि नः
śaunaka uvāca | sūta śrutā purāsmābhirutpattirgaṇapasya ca | kṣetranāthaḥ kathaṃ jajñe vadaitacchṛṇvatāṃ hi naḥ
Śaunaka said: “O Sūta, we have formerly heard of the birth of Gaṇapa (Gaṇeśa). Now tell us—how did Kṣetranātha, the Lord of the sacred field, come to be? Explain this to us who are listening.”
Śaunaka
Tirtha: Kṣetranātha (as kṣetra-presiding lord)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka
Scene: In Naimiṣāraṇya, Śaunaka respectfully questions Sūta; sages sit in a circle, sacrificial fire in the center, the topic shifts from Gaṇeśa’s birth to the origin of Kṣetranātha.
Sacred places (kṣetras) are protected by presiding divinities; knowing their origin strengthens reverence and right conduct within a holy domain.
No single tīrtha is specified in this verse; the focus is on the concept of a kṣetra and its guardian lord (Kṣetranātha).
None; it is a question initiating the narrative.