Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15
मां वाञ्छन्ती स्कन्धदेशं रहस्ये दूरे स्थिता तीर्थवर्यप्रभावात् । संचिन्त्य देवो मनसा स्मरारिर्वासाय बुद्धिं तत्र तीर्थे चकार
māṃ vāñchantī skandhadeśaṃ rahasye dūre sthitā tīrthavaryaprabhāvāt | saṃcintya devo manasā smarārirvāsāya buddhiṃ tatra tīrthe cakāra
Bien qu’elle me désirât, elle demeura au loin, en secret, dans la contrée de Skanda, par la puissance de ce tīrtha suprême. Y le Dieu—ennemi de Smara—ayant médité cela, décida en son cœur d’habiter ce gué sacré.
Purāṇic narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing a King
Tirtha: Vidhauṭapāpa
Type: ghat
Scene: Hatyā lurks far away in a hidden place called Skandadeśa, yearning to approach; Śiva contemplates and then resolves to make the tīrtha his dwelling.
FAQs
A truly powerful tīrtha shapes even cosmic forces—sin is constrained, and divinity chooses to abide where Dharma is strongest.
The ‘excellent tīrtha’ identified in the chapter as Vidhautapāpa, associated with Dhauteśvarī and the Narmadā.
None; it highlights the merit of residence/abiding near the tīrtha (tīrtha-vāsa).