Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
सूत उवाच । असंख्यातानि तीर्थानि तथा लिंगानि च द्विजाः । लोपं गतानि वक्ष्यामि प्राधान्येन प्रबोधत
sūta uvāca | asaṃkhyātāni tīrthāni tathā liṃgāni ca dvijāḥ | lopaṃ gatāni vakṣyāmi prādhānyena prabodhata
Sūta said: “O twice-born ones, the tīrthas and the liṅgas are countless. I shall speak of those that have slipped into obscurity—chiefly the most important among them; listen with care.”
Sūta
Listener: dvijāḥ (brāhmaṇa sages/ritviks)
Scene: Sūta, seated in a forest-āśrama or yajña-sabhā, addresses attentive dvijas, introducing a ‘lost tīrthas’ register; palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual fires suggest transmission of sacred geography.
FAQs
Remembering and prioritizing key sacred sites preserves dharma and keeps the living link to the kṣetra’s sanctity.
The verse introduces a principal list of tīrthas within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya.
No direct prescription; it frames an instructive enumeration meant to guide pilgrims and listeners.