Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16
अहंपूर्वमहंपूर्वं वीक्षयिष्यामि तं हरम् । इति श्रद्धासमो पेताश्चक्रुस्ते शपथं गताः
ahaṃpūrvamahaṃpūrvaṃ vīkṣayiṣyāmi taṃ haram | iti śraddhāsamo petāścakruste śapathaṃ gatāḥ
«Moi d’abord ! Moi d’abord je verrai Hara !»—ainsi, emportés par leur foi, ils se firent entre eux un serment.
Skanda (deduced)
Tirtha: Rudrakoṭi (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Pilgrims in a dense throng, hands raised, voices overlapping—each declaring, ‘I shall see Hara first!’—as they bind themselves with an impulsive oath.
FAQs
Even sincere devotion can become mixed with rivalry; the narrative prepares a dharmic correction toward humility.
The setting remains the Camatkārapura/Rudrakoṭi tīrtha context where Śiva’s darśana is sought.
An oath (śapatha) is mentioned as a social-religious act, though not prescribed as a formal rite.