Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3
पुरासीत्पृथिवीपालो ह्यंबरीषो युगे कृते । हरिमाराधयामास तपस्तेपे सुदुष्करम्
purāsītpṛthivīpālo hyaṃbarīṣo yuge kṛte | harimārādhayāmāsa tapastepe suduṣkaram
In ancient times, in the Kṛta Yuga, there was a ruler of the earth named Ambārīṣa. He worshiped Hari and performed extremely difficult austerities.
Pulastya
Tirtha: Ambārīṣa-tīrtha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha
Scene: Ambārīṣa, crowned yet ascetic, performs Hari-pūjā beside a forested tīrtha; he stands in penance posture, with offerings arranged, while celestial beings observe the intensity of his tapas.
FAQs
Kingship is sanctified by devotion and austerity; spiritual discipline can transform a locale into a revered tīrtha.
Ambārīṣa’s tīrtha, whose sanctity is rooted in the rājaṛṣi’s worship of Hari and tapas.
Tapas and ārādhana (worship) of Hari are presented as the exemplary practices underlying the tīrtha’s greatness.