Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3
ईश्वर उवाच । एतेषां मध्यतो देवि तीर्थाष्टकमनुत्तमम् । अस्ति स्नातैर्नरैस्तत्र सर्वेषां लभ्यते फलम्
īśvara uvāca | eteṣāṃ madhyato devi tīrthāṣṭakamanuttamam | asti snātairnaraistatra sarveṣāṃ labhyate phalam
ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ ദേവി, ഇവയുടെ മദ്ധ്യേ അനുത്തമമായ തീർത്ഥാഷ്ടകം ഉണ്ട്; അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യർക്ക് സർവ്വ തീർത്ഥഫലവും ലഭിക്കുന്നു।
Śiva (Īśvara)
Tirtha: Tīrthāṣṭaka (Aṣṭa-kṣetra set)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)
Scene: Īśvara addresses Devī, indicating a ‘supreme eightfold tīrtha-set’ whose single snāna yields the fruit of all pilgrimages; the scene suggests a cosmic map of India’s sacred sites hovering around the divine couple.
FAQs
Dharma provides accessible paths: a focused set of sacred baths can confer comprehensive merit when performed with right intent.
The verse introduces the concept of a ‘Tīrthāṣṭaka’ (eight tīrthas), whose specific names are expected to follow in subsequent verses.
Perform snāna at the supreme set of eight tīrthas to obtain the fruits of all tīrtha-bathing.