Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25
उच्छेदं संप्रयातानि तीर्थान्यायतनानि च । यान्यहं वेद कार्त्स्न्येन प्रभावसहितानि च । तानि वः कीर्तयिष्यामि शृणुध्वं सुसमाहिताः
ucchedaṃ saṃprayātāni tīrthānyāyatanāni ca | yānyahaṃ veda kārtsnyena prabhāvasahitāni ca | tāni vaḥ kīrtayiṣyāmi śṛṇudhvaṃ susamāhitāḥ
Bien des tīrtha et des sanctuaires sont allés jusqu’à la disparition. Mais ceux que je connais entièrement—avec leurs puissances—je vous les raconterai. Écoutez avec une attention parfaitement recueillie.
Sūta
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ
Scene: A teacher-narrator seated in a forest-āśrama or pilgrimage pavilion, gesturing as he begins a sacred catalogue; behind him, faint silhouettes of ruined shrines and overgrown ghats symbolize vanished āyatanas; listeners sit with folded hands, fully attentive.
FAQs
Even if physical markers of sacred sites fade, their dharmic memory is preserved through faithful narration and attentive hearing.
The verse continues the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra tīrtha catalogue, focusing on those still knowable by tradition.
A discipline of listening (śravaṇa) with concentration is prescribed as the proper way to receive tīrtha-māhātmya.