Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11
ईश्वर उवाच । तीर्थशब्दो वरारोहे धर्मकृत्येषु वर्तते । धर्मस्थानेषु सर्वेषु तत्त्वं शृणु समाहिता
īśvara uvāca | tīrthaśabdo varārohe dharmakṛtyeṣu vartate | dharmasthāneṣu sarveṣu tattvaṃ śṛṇu samāhitā
Īśvara bersabda: “Wahai yang berpinggul indah, kata ‘tīrtha’ digunakan bagi amalan-amalan dharma. Di segala tempat dharma, dengarlah—dengan hati yang teguh—hakikatnya yang sejati.”
Īśvara (Śiva)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Varārohe (Devī/Pārvatī implied)
Scene: Īśvara begins a calm instruction to the beloved listener, defining the word ‘tīrtha’ and inviting focused listening to its principle.
FAQs
A tīrtha is not merely geography; it is fundamentally tied to dharma—right action and sanctified contexts where dharma is practiced.
This is a doctrinal preface rather than a site-specific praise; it frames tīrtha in relation to dharma-sthānas in general.
The instruction is śravaṇa (attentive listening) to the tattva—the essential teaching—about tīrtha.