Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48
पुस्तके लिखितं चैतन्नागतीर्थसमुद्भवम् । माहात्म्यं तिष्ठते यत्र न सर्पस्तत्र तिष्ठति
pustake likhitaṃ caitannāgatīrthasamudbhavam | māhātmyaṃ tiṣṭhate yatra na sarpastatra tiṣṭhati
Et là où demeure, consigné dans un livre, ce māhātmya issu du Nāga-tīrtha, aucun serpent ne séjourne en ce lieu.
Sūta (deduced from section frame; explicit Sūta at 184.1)
Tirtha: Nāga-tīrtha
Type: kund
Listener: Audience of the māhātmya (implied)
Scene: A household shrine shelf holds a wrapped manuscript labeled ‘Nāga-tīrtha-māhātmya’; a serpent at the doorway turns away; the room is bright with lamp and incense.
FAQs
The māhātmya is treated as sacred presence: preserving it (even in written form) is a protective dharmic act.
Nāga-tīrtha, whose māhātmya is said to sanctify and protect the place where it is kept.
Leaning toward dharmic preservation: writing and keeping the māhātmya text (pustaka-likhana/saṅgraha).