Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1
। सूत उवाच । तत्र दाशरथी रामो वनवासाय दीक्षितः । भ्रममाणो धरापृष्ठे सीतालक्ष्मणसंयुतः
| sūta uvāca | tatra dāśarathī rāmo vanavāsāya dīkṣitaḥ | bhramamāṇo dharāpṛṣṭhe sītālakṣmaṇasaṃyutaḥ
Sūta dit : Là, Rāma, fils de Daśaratha—consacré à la vie d’exil dans la forêt—errait sur la surface de la terre, accompagné de Sītā et de Lakṣmaṇa.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta-narrator)
Tirtha: Pitṛkūpikā (contextual)
Type: kund
Listener: (assembly of sages; implied by Purāṇic frame)
Scene: Rāma with bow, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa traveling through a sacred landscape, approaching a revered spot; the mood is austere yet luminous, suggesting vow-bound wandering.
FAQs
Even divine embodiments of dharma sanctify the landscape through pilgrimage-like wandering, turning geography into sacred memory (sthāla-māhātmya).
The narrative is setting the scene for the tīrtha connected with Pitṛkūpikā (introduced in the following verse).
No direct rite is prescribed here; it introduces the sacred context through Rāma’s presence and movement toward the tīrtha.