Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3
नालभन्त श्रियं नाके मर्त्ये पातालगोचरे । कुरुक्षेत्रं गया गङ्गा नैमिषं पुष्करं तथा
nālabhanta śriyaṃ nāke martye pātālagocare | kurukṣetraṃ gayā gaṅgā naimiṣaṃ puṣkaraṃ tathā
Ni au ciel, ni sur la terre, ni dans les régions du monde souterrain n’obtient-on une telle splendeur spirituelle ; même Kurukṣetra, Gayā, la Gaṅgā, Naimiṣa et Puṣkara ne l’égalent pas.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa kathā-frame)
Tirtha: Ravitīrtha
Type: ghat
Listener: Royal listener (Kuru lineage address continues)
Scene: A cosmic triptych of heaven, earth, and netherworld shown as three bands; famous tīrthas appear as emblematic icons (dharma-chakra for Kurukṣetra, piṇḍa offerings for Gayā, flowing Gaṅgā, forest hermitage for Naimiṣa, lotus lake for Puṣkara) all dimmer than a blazing Ravitīrtha sunlit ghat.
FAQs
Pilgrimage merits are graded in Purāṇic dharma, and a specially praised tīrtha can surpass even the most famous pan-Indian sacred sites.
The verse functions as a comparative preface; in this adhyāya the focal tīrtha is Ravitīrtha (introduced immediately after).
No specific ritual is stated here; it is a eulogy establishing the exceptional merit of the tīrtha.