Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3
समाहूता समायाता द्रुतं सा स्त्रीस्वरूपिणी । अब्रवीत्प्रांजलिर्भूत्वा आदेशो दीयतां मम । ब्रह्मर्षे येन कार्येण समाहूतास्मि सांप्रतम्
samāhūtā samāyātā drutaṃ sā strīsvarūpiṇī | abravītprāṃjalirbhūtvā ādeśo dīyatāṃ mama | brahmarṣe yena kāryeṇa samāhūtāsmi sāṃpratam
Invoquée, elle vint rapidement sous la forme d'une femme. Les mains jointes, elle dit : « Ô Brahmarṣi, donne-moi ton ordre ; pour quelle tâche ai-je été appelée en ce moment ? »
River-goddess (Sarasvatī in woman form; within Sūta’s narration)
Tirtha: Sarasvatī (as devī at the tīrtha)
Type: ghat
Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)
Scene: The Sarasvatī rises from the river as a radiant woman, water-lotus garland and shimmering garments, hands folded in añjali before Viśvāmitra; the river behind her forms a halo-like aureole of flowing light.
FAQs
Tīrthas are living sacred powers in Purāṇic thought—approached with reverence, they respond to dharmic authority and devotion.
The Sarasvatī tīrtha (river as deity) within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya setting.
No formal rite is prescribed; the verse depicts respectful invocation and the river-deity’s readiness to serve a commanded purpose.