Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1
मार्कण्डेय उवाच । धर्मपुत्र ततो गच्छेत्कर्कटेश्वरमुत्तमम् । उत्तरे नर्मदाकूले सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | dharmaputra tato gacchetkarkaṭeśvaramuttamam | uttare narmadākūle sarvapāpakṣayaṃkaram
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Wahai putera Dharma, kemudian hendaklah engkau pergi ke Karkaṭeśvara yang utama, di tebing utara Sungai Narmadā—yang memusnahkan segala dosa.”
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Karkaṭeśvara
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira) on a riverbank; in the distance stands Karkaṭeśvara’s shrine near the Narmadā, with pilgrims ascending steps and offering water to a liṅga.
FAQs
Pilgrimage to a sanctified Śiva-tīrtha, undertaken with faith, is praised as a potent means of removing accumulated sin.
Karkaṭeśvara, situated on the northern bank of the river Narmadā, within the Revā Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa.
The instruction is to ‘go’ (gacchet) to the tīrtha—implying a pilgrimage visit; later verses add bathing and worship.