Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14
भूमिभागाः पवित्राः स्युः कीर्त्यते तीर्थमित्युत । तेषां संदर्शनादेव स्मरणाच्चावगाहनात् । मुच्यंते जन्तवः पापैरपि जन्मशतोद्भवैः
bhūmibhāgāḥ pavitrāḥ syuḥ kīrtyate tīrthamityuta | teṣāṃ saṃdarśanādeva smaraṇāccāvagāhanāt | mucyaṃte jantavaḥ pāpairapi janmaśatodbhavaiḥ
Certaines portions de la terre sont véritablement pures; on les proclame donc ‘tīrtha’. Par le seul fait de les contempler, de s’en souvenir et de s’y baigner ou s’y immerger, les êtres sont délivrés des péchés, même de ceux amassés au fil de centaines de naissances.
Īśvara (Śiva)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pārvatī (addressed as ‘sarvāṅgasundarī’ in the passage)
Scene: A pilgrim approaches a radiant tīrtha on earth; the very ground glows with sanctity. Three acts are shown in sequence—seeing the waters, remembering with folded hands, and immersing—while dark stains (sins) dissolve into light.
FAQs
Tīrthas sanctify through multiple modes—seeing, remembering, and bathing—showing how sacred geography works through both body and mind.
The verse speaks generally of tīrtha-regions (bhūmibhāgāḥ) rather than naming a particular river or shrine.
Avagāhana (ritual bathing/immersion) at a tīrtha, along with darśana (visiting) and smaraṇa (remembrance).