अगस्त्य उवाच । धर्मतीर्थस्य माहात्म्यं कीदृग्देवेन शंभुना । स्कंद देव्यै समाख्यातं तदाख्याहि कृपां कुरु
agastya uvāca | dharmatīrthasya māhātmyaṃ kīdṛgdevena śaṃbhunā | skaṃda devyai samākhyātaṃ tadākhyāhi kṛpāṃ kuru
അഗസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ സ്കന്ദാ, ധർമ്മതീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം ദേവൻ ശംഭു ദേവിയോട് എങ്ങനെയാണു പറഞ്ഞത്? ദയചെയ്ത് ആ കഥ പറയുക।
Agastya
Tirtha: Dharmatīrtha
Type: tirtha
Listener: Skanda
Scene: Agastya, austere and radiant, seated in a hermitage setting, hands folded, addressing youthful Skanda; the question is about Dharmatīrtha’s greatness as told by Śambhu to Devī—suggesting a layered narrative scroll behind them.
Approaching a realized teacher with humility and inquiry is the doorway to understanding tīrtha-māhātmya and dharma.
Dharmatīrtha in the Kāśī-kṣetra tradition is introduced as the subject of praise.
No ritual is prescribed here; it initiates the teaching by requesting the tīrtha’s māhātmya.