Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22
ममाश्रयाणि तान्येव सर्वपापहराणि च । कामदानि वरारोहे मत्प्रभावादसंशयम्
mamāśrayāṇi tānyeva sarvapāpaharāṇi ca | kāmadāni varārohe matprabhāvādasaṃśayam
हे वरारोहे! तीच तीर्थे माझ्या आश्रयात आहेत; ती सर्व पापे हरतात आणि इच्छित फल देतात. माझ्या प्रभावाने—यात संशय नाही.
Śiva (deduced)
Tirtha: Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-tīrthas (68)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (addressed as varārohe)
Scene: A protective mantle motif: the deity’s presence envelops multiple tīrthas like a garland; pilgrims receive purification and boons as rays or streams of light emanate from the divine source.
FAQs
The purifying and wish-fulfilling power of tīrthas is grounded in divine guardianship—pilgrimage is participation in that sacred power.
Not a single site; the verse praises the entire set of tīrthas as sin-destroying and boon-giving under Śiva’s protection.
No specific rite is stated here; it establishes the doctrinal basis for tīrtha fruits (pāpa-hara, kāma-dāna).