Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6
ऋषय ऊचुः । कानि दानानि शस्यानि तदर्थं वद नो द्रुतम् । जपश्चैव पुरा प्रोक्तस्त्वया कार्यो यथैव च
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kāni dānāni śasyāni tadarthaṃ vada no drutam | japaścaiva purā proktastvayā kāryo yathaiva ca
Para resi berkata: “Beritahulah kami segera, apakah dāna (sedekah suci) yang paling terpuji untuk tujuan itu. Dan seperti yang telah engkau ajarkan dahulu, japa apakah yang harus dilakukan, serta bagaimana caranya?”
Ṛṣis (Sages)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sūta
Scene: The sages, hands folded, lean forward and question the narrator about the best gifts and the correct japa method; ritual implements (kuśa, water-pot, rosary) lie nearby, indicating readiness to act.
FAQs
True pilgrimage and devotion are completed by dharma in action—charity (dāna) and disciplined remembrance (japa).
The verse is within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya stream; the immediate focus is on practices rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
It asks for prescriptions: which dānas are best and what japa should be performed, preparing for the detailed instructions that follow.