Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 43
क्षिप्तं पञ्चसु तीर्थेषु तद्भूयात्तीर्थमुत्तमम् । तथेत्युक्त्वा तु ते सर्वे पितरोऽदृश्यतां गताः
kṣiptaṃ pañcasu tīrtheṣu tadbhūyāttīrthamuttamam | tathetyuktvā tu te sarve pitaro'dṛśyatāṃ gatāḥ
“Jika ia dicurahkan ke dalam lima tīrtha, nescaya ia menjadi tīrtha yang paling utama.” Setelah berkata “Tathāstu”, semua Pitṛ itu pun lenyap daripada pandangan.
Narrator; Pitṛs are the quoted speakers
Tirtha: Pañca-tīrtha (five sacred fords) generated by the act
Type: sangam
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: The ascetic symbolically casts the blood into five distinct sacred fords/ponds; each spot begins to glow as a tīrtha; the Pitṛs, having granted the boon, fade into invisibility.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma frames tīrthas as divinely sanctioned spaces where actions, offerings, and intentions are transmuted into purification and merit.
A cluster of five tīrthas is indicated, forming the sacred context for the Devamārga and the Narmadā tradition developed in the subsequent verses.
Casting/placing the offering into five tīrthas is presented as the act by which the place becomes ‘uttama-tīrtha’ (an excellent pilgrimage ford).