Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 74
प्रभावस्तीर्थमुख्यानां तदा पुण्यतमोऽभवत् । सत्ये धर्मे चाध्ययने यज्ञे दाने तपस्यपि
prabhāvastīrthamukhyānāṃ tadā puṇyatamo'bhavat | satye dharme cādhyayane yajñe dāne tapasyapi
Alors, la puissance des tīrthas les plus éminents devint d’un mérite suprême ; de même, dans la véracité, dans le dharma, dans l’étude, dans le yajña, dans le don et même dans l’austérité, le mérite s’accrut grandement.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Tīrtha-mukhya (collective: foremost sacred places)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A symbolic panorama of India’s foremost tīrthas glowing with intensified radiance; alongside, vignettes of satya-speaking devotees, students reciting, priests offering yajña, donors giving, and ascetics in tapas—each surrounded by a halo of increased puṇya.
FAQs
Dharma-practices and tīrtha-sevā become especially fruitful when aligned with divine auspicious time and devotion.
The verse praises the efficacy of the ‘foremost tīrthas’ in general, without naming one location.
It commends core dharmic observances—satya, adhyayana, yajña, dāna, and tapas—as sources of increased merit.