Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15
तत्र तीर्थे तु यो राजन्वृषभं च समुत्सृजेत् । पितरश्चोद्धृतास्तेन शिवलोके महीयते
tatra tīrthe tu yo rājanvṛṣabhaṃ ca samutsṛjet | pitaraścoddhṛtāstena śivaloke mahīyate
Wahai raja, siapa pun yang di tirtha itu melepaskan seekor lembu jantan sebagai sedekah (vṛṣotsarga), oleh jasanya para leluhur terangkat, dan ia dimuliakan di alam Śiva.
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual)
Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)
Type: ghat
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed ‘rājan’)
Scene: At a river ford, a kingly donor ceremonially releases a decorated bull (with auspicious marks), while priests recite; ancestors are shown rising upward in subtle, luminous forms; Śiva’s realm is hinted above.
FAQs
Tīrtha-based offerings to Śiva, especially vṛṣotsarga, are presented as benefiting both the performer and their ancestral line.
The verse explicitly references ‘that tīrtha’ within Revā Khaṇḍa; the immediate context is a Revā (Narmadā) pilgrimage-site celebrated in this chapter.
Vṛṣotsarga: ritually releasing a bull at a tīrtha as a dharmic donation connected with pitṛ-uplift.