Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4
चान्द्रायणानि कृच्छ्राणि तथा सांतपनानि च । तस्य क्षेत्रस्य पुरतः कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम्
cāndrāyaṇāni kṛcchrāṇi tathā sāṃtapanāni ca | tasya kṣetrasya purataḥ kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm
Cāndrāyaṇa observances, Kṛcchra penances, and Sāṃtapana austerities as well—none of these equals even a sixteenth part of the merit of that sacred kṣetra.
Sūta
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim stands at the threshold of a radiant kṣetra; behind him are symbolic implements of penance (moon-cycle calendar for Cāndrāyaṇa, kuśa grass, water-pot), shown as small and dim compared to the kṣetra’s luminous aura.
FAQs
A holy place sanctified by divine presence can confer merit beyond severe austerities when approached with reverence.
The unnamed “that kṣetra” in Adhyāya 16, contextually tied to Hāṭakeśvara.
No specific penance is prescribed; rather, standard penances are declared inferior to kṣetra-merit.
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