Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9
अतस्त्वां परिपृच्छामि धर्मतीर्थाश्रयं कवे । बहूनि सन्ति तीर्थानि बहुशो मे श्रुतानि च
atastvāṃ paripṛcchāmi dharmatīrthāśrayaṃ kave | bahūni santi tīrthāni bahuśo me śrutāni ca
Oleh itu, wahai kavi, tempat bersandar bagi Dharma dan tīrtha, aku bertanya kepadamu. Banyak tempat suci ziarah, dan tentangnya aku telah mendengar berulang kali.
Śaunaka
Listener: Śaunaka
Scene: Śaunaka leaning forward in inquiry, gesturing toward an imagined map of many sacred places; Sūta poised to begin a systematic account; surrounding sages attentive, suggesting the start of a pilgrimage-catalogue narrative.
FAQs
Pilgrimage knowledge should be sought from dharmic authorities; inquiry is itself a dharma when done with reverence.
No single tīrtha yet; the verse introduces a broader inquiry into sacred geography that will culminate in Revā’s praise.
None explicit; it establishes the method—paripraśna (earnest questioning) as the gateway to tīrtha-dharma.