Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95
अतिथिरुवाच । अहं भीतः सहस्राणि ग्रामाणां च शतानि च । यत्रास्तमितशायी सन्ननेकानि द्विजोत्तमाः । संख्यया रहितान्येव वर्षाणां च शतानि च
atithiruvāca | ahaṃ bhītaḥ sahasrāṇi grāmāṇāṃ ca śatāni ca | yatrāstamitaśāyī sannanekāni dvijottamāḥ | saṃkhyayā rahitānyeva varṣāṇāṃ ca śatāni ca
Atithi dit : «Dans la crainte, j’ai erré à travers des milliers de villages et des centaines d’autres encore — des lieux où maints brāhmaṇas d’élite s’étendaient au coucher du soleil. En vérité, j’ai traversé des centaines d’années, au-delà de tout décompte.»
Atithi
Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ)
Scene: A lone traveler/atithi moves from village to village at dusk; brāhmaṇas are seen settling for the night after sunset rites; the traveler’s face shows fear and fatigue, suggesting centuries passing like a blur.
FAQs
Worldly wandering across countless places and long spans of time does not itself grant fulfillment; it sets the stage for seeking true sacred purpose through dharma and tīrtha.
This verse is preparatory and does not name a single tīrtha; it frames Atithi’s long journey before the promised sacred event in this Adhyāya.
No direct ritual instruction appears here; it is narrative context describing travel and duration.