Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 76
नदीनां च यथा गंगा सतीनां चाप्यरुंधती । तद्वत्स्थानजविप्राणां श्रेष्ठोऽष्टकुलिकः स्मृतः
nadīnāṃ ca yathā gaṃgā satīnāṃ cāpyaruṃdhatī | tadvatsthānajaviprāṇāṃ śreṣṭho'ṣṭakulikaḥ smṛtaḥ
നദികളിൽ ഗംഗ ശ്രേഷ്ഠയും, സതീസ്ത്രീകളിൽ അരുന്ധതി ശ്രേഷ്ഠയും ആകുന്നതുപോലെ, ആ തീർത്ഥസ്ഥാനത്തിലെ സ്ഥാനജ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാരിൽ അഷ്ടകുലികൻ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു।
Viśvāmitra (deduced from immediate context; explicit at 85)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Gaṅgā personified as a radiant river-goddess and Arundhatī as a serene, veiled pativratā appear as symbolic witnesses while an aṣṭakulika brāhmaṇa at the local ghāṭa instructs pilgrims in dharma.
FAQs
The verse teaches that in tīrtha-based rites, reverence for the most qualified local Brāhmaṇas is itself part of dharma and amplifies the merit (puṇya) of worship and offerings.
The verse speaks within a Tīrthamāhātmya context of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa, praising the sanctity of the ‘place’ (sthāna) and its native ritual authorities, without naming a single tīrtha in this line.
An implicit prescription: in rites connected to a sacred place, one should recognize and prioritize the foremost local Brāhmaṇa (here, the Aṣṭakulika) for ritual engagement and honor.