Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4
पुष्करे च तथा कोटिः कुरुक्षेत्रे च पार्थिव । वाराणस्यामर्धकोटिः स्तुता देवैः सवासवैः । राजन्नेतानि रक्षंति सर्वे देवाः सवासवाः
puṣkare ca tathā koṭiḥ kurukṣetre ca pārthiva | vārāṇasyāmardhakoṭiḥ stutā devaiḥ savāsavaiḥ | rājannetāni rakṣaṃti sarve devāḥ savāsavāḥ
In Puṣkara too there is a crore (of tīrthas), and in Kurukṣetra as well, O King; and in Vārāṇasī there is a half-crore, praised by the gods together with Indra. O King, all the gods with Indra protect these sacred places.
Pulastya
Tirtha: Puṣkara; Kurukṣetra; Vārāṇasī
Type: kshetra
Listener: King (Rājan)
Scene: A triad of famed pilgrimage centers—Puṣkara’s lotus lake, Kurukṣetra’s dharma-field, and Kāśī’s ghats—each encircled by a halo of devas with Indra, signifying protection and praise.
FAQs
Major tīrthas are depicted as divinely protected nodes of dharma, sustaining sacred access for pilgrims.
Puṣkara, Kurukṣetra, and especially Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) are named and praised.
No single rite is specified; the verse emphasizes the sanctity and divine guardianship of these tīrthas.