Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1
ऋषय ऊचुः । अष्टषष्टिरियं प्रोक्ता या त्वया सूतनन्दन । क्षेत्राणां देवदेवस्य कथं सा तत्र संस्थिता । एतत्सर्वं समाचक्ष्व परं कौतूहलं हि नः
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | aṣṭaṣaṣṭiriyaṃ proktā yā tvayā sūtanandana | kṣetrāṇāṃ devadevasya kathaṃ sā tatra saṃsthitā | etatsarvaṃ samācakṣva paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ
Para resi berkata: “Wahai putera Sūta, engkau telah menyebut ‘enam puluh enam’—yakni medan suci milik Dewa segala dewa. Bagaimanakah semuanya ditempatkan di sana? Ceritakanlah semuanya kepada kami, kerana besar benar rasa ingin tahu kami.”
Ṛṣis
Tirtha: Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-kṣetra (the ‘sixty-six’ Śaiva sacred fields)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sūtanandana (son of Sūta)
Scene: An assembly of sages seated in a forest hermitage, addressing the storyteller (Sūta’s son) with raised hands in inquiry; behind them, a symbolic map-like backdrop of many kṣetras.
FAQs
Holy geography is to be approached through śravaṇa (listening) and inquiry; curiosity directed toward dharma becomes a path to understanding.
Not one single tīrtha; the verse introduces the wider network of ‘sixty-six kṣetras’ under the God of gods.
None; it is a question initiating doctrinal and geographical exposition.