Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45
तेषु तीर्थेषु सर्वेषु धर्महेतुः सरस्वती । रुद्रावतार मार्गेऽस्मिन्प्रवरं प्रथमं स्मृतम्
teṣu tīrtheṣu sarveṣu dharmahetuḥ sarasvatī | rudrāvatāra mārge'sminpravaraṃ prathamaṃ smṛtam
त्या सर्व तीर्थांमध्ये सरस्वती हीच धर्माची हेतु आहे. रुद्रावतारांच्या या मार्गात ती श्रेष्ठ व प्रथम म्हणून स्मरली जाते.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)
Tirtha: Sarasvatī (Suprabhā) as prathama tīrtha on Rudrāvatāra-mārga
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim-path is envisioned where Rudra’s manifestations are honored; at its head stands Sarasvatī, serene and foremost, as the cause of dharma.
FAQs
Dharma is sustained through tīrtha-sevā; Sarasvatī is praised as a foundational power that nurtures righteous living.
Sarasvatī-tīrtha as the foremost tīrtha within the network of sacred places along the Rudrāvatāra-mārga.
No explicit prescription is stated; the verse establishes Sarasvatī’s primacy for pilgrimage and worship.