Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34
सूत उवाच । दक्षिणे चोत्तरे चापि संप्राप्ते चायनद्वये । पूजयित्वा पदं विष्णोरिमं मन्त्रमुदीरयेत्
sūta uvāca | dakṣiṇe cottare cāpi saṃprāpte cāyanadvaye | pūjayitvā padaṃ viṣṇorimaṃ mantramudīrayet
Sūta dit : «Lorsque survient l’un des deux solstices—au sud ou au nord—, après avoir vénéré l’Empreinte du Pied de Viṣṇu, qu’on récite ce mantra.»
Sūta
Tirtha: Viṣṇoḥ Pada
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis
Scene: At dawn of solstice, devotees and priests worship a footprint pedestal with lamps, incense, tulasī and flowers; the sun is depicted at a turning point; mantra recitation in unison.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma unites sacred time and sacred place: worship at the right season, then seal it with mantra.
Viṣṇupada (the sacred footprint of Viṣṇu) as a tīrtha of special efficacy.
During either ayana (solstice season), perform Viṣṇupada pūjā and then recite the prescribed mantra.