Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5
तत्कथं देव गच्छामि तत्राहं श्राद्धसिद्धये । तस्मात्कथय मे तेषां किंचिच्छ्राद्धाय भूतले । मुक्तिदं येन गच्छामि तव वाक्याज्जनार्दन
tatkathaṃ deva gacchāmi tatrāhaṃ śrāddhasiddhaye | tasmātkathaya me teṣāṃ kiṃcicchrāddhāya bhūtale | muktidaṃ yena gacchāmi tava vākyājjanārdana
Ô Seigneur, comment puis-je m’y rendre afin que le śrāddha s’accomplisse avec succès ? Dis-moi donc quelque moyen d’accomplir leur śrāddha ici sur la terre—quelque chose qui donne la délivrance—afin que, selon ta parole, ô Janārdana, je puisse agir en conséquence.
Indra (Śakra)
Tirtha: Gayā (as ideal) / unspecified local upāya (requested)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Viṣṇu (Janārdana)
Scene: Indra, troubled and earnest, asks Viṣṇu for a practical method to accomplish liberative śrāddha on earth without necessarily reaching Gayā; Viṣṇu listens as the compassionate lawgiver.
FAQs
Dharma seeks workable paths: when an ideal pilgrimage is difficult, one should ask for an authorized alternative rooted in śāstra and divine counsel.
Gayā is implied as the ‘there’ being discussed, while Indra requests an effective alternative on earth (bhū-tale).
A request for a prescribed method enabling śrāddha completion and liberation without necessarily traveling to the primary tīrtha.