Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33
सा तथैति प्रतिज्ञाय नित्यं व्रतपरायणा । अष्टषष्टिसु तीर्थेषु वाराणस्यादिषु क्रमात्
sā tathaiti pratijñāya nityaṃ vrataparāyaṇā | aṣṭaṣaṣṭisu tīrtheṣu vārāṇasyādiṣu kramāt
Dia pun menyetujuinya, berikrar demikian, sentiasa tekun pada vrata; lalu menurut tertib, dia mengunjungi enam puluh lapan tīrtha—bermula dari Vārāṇasī dan seterusnya.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) as ādi-sthāna in the aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-tīrtha-krama
Type: kshetra
Scene: A steadfast sādhvī takes a vow and sets out; the first vista is Vārāṇasī’s ghāṭas with rising sun over Gaṅgā, then a procession-like journey unfolding in sequence.
FAQs
A vow becomes effective through sustained practice—regular observance and orderly pilgrimage embody sincere repentance.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) is explicitly named as the beginning of the tīrtha-sequence, highlighting its primacy in pilgrimage culture.
The prescription here is practical: undertake the tīrtha-circuit in order while remaining steadfast in daily vrata observance.