Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25
देवारण्येषु सर्वेषु नदीषु च नदेषु च । पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि समुद्राद्यानि भारत
devāraṇyeṣu sarveṣu nadīṣu ca nadeṣu ca | pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni samudrādyāni bhārata
हे भारत! सर्व देवारण्यात, नद्यांत व उपनद्यांत, तसेच पृथ्वीवरील समुद्रापासून आरंभ होणारी जी जी तीर्थस्थाने आहेत—त्या सर्व ठिकाणी (तो विचरत राहिला)।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha-saṅgraha (all tīrthas collectively)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Bhārata
Scene: A montage-map: Kumāra traverses forests, riverbanks, mountain passes, and ocean shores; small vignettes show snāna at a river, worship in a forest shrine, and standing before the sea—suggesting a sacred atlas.
FAQs
Dharma is nurtured through sacred geography: tīrthas, rivers, forests, and seas are living supports for purification and spiritual discipline.
The verse broadly glorifies all tīrthas—rivers, sacred forests, and oceans—framing the Purāṇa’s pan-Indian pilgrimage vision.
No single rite; it implies tīrtha-sevā—approaching holy places for purification, worship, and spiritual practice.