Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1
पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ ईशानीशिखरं महत् । यत्र गौर्या तपस्तप्तं सुपुण्यं लोकविश्रुतम्
pulastya uvāca | tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha īśānīśikharaṃ mahat | yatra gauryā tapastaptaṃ supuṇyaṃ lokaviśrutam
Pulastya berkata: “Kemudian, wahai raja yang utama, hendaklah pergi ke puncak besar bernama Īśānī-śikhara, tempat Dewi Gaurī menjalani tapa—suatu kebajikan yang amat suci dan termasyhur di seluruh alam.”
Pulastya
Tirtha: Īśānī-śikhara
Type: peak
Listener: Yayāti
Scene: Pulastya, the sage, points out a towering peak to King Yayāti; on the summit, Gaurī is depicted in austere meditation—matted hair, simple bark/cloth, surrounded by quiet forest and rocky outcrops; a subtle aura marks the ‘lokaviśruta’ sanctity.
FAQs
Pilgrimage to a sanctified site connected with divine tapas is presented as a direct means to gain great puṇya and spiritual uplift.
Īśānī-śikhara, a great peak praised in the Arbuda Khaṇḍa as the place of Gaurī’s austerities.
A clear prescription is given: one should go (gacchet) to Īśānī-śikhara—i.e., undertake tīrtha-yātrā to that place.