Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 34
भूलोके चांतरिक्षे च दिवि तीर्थानि यानि वै । अतीत्य वर्तते तानि तीर्थान्येतद्द्विजोत्तम
bhūloke cāṃtarikṣe ca divi tīrthāni yāni vai | atītya vartate tāni tīrthānyetaddvijottama
Apa jua tīrtha (tempat suci) yang ada di bumi, di alam pertengahan, dan di syurga—tempat suci ini mengatasi semuanya, wahai yang terbaik antara yang dua kali lahir.
Varāha (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (as ‘etad tīrtham’)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dvijottama (best of brāhmaṇas) addressed directly
Scene: A cosmic map-like vision: earth, mid-region, and heaven dotted with tīrthas, all bowing or streaming their merit toward Ayodhyā; Ayodhyā shines at center with Sarayū and Viṣṇu’s presence.
FAQs
The text asserts a hierarchy of tīrthas, placing this Ayodhyā locus above even celestial pilgrimage sites.
Ayodhyā’s sacred region (contextually Svargadvāra/Ayodhyā tīrthas).
None; it is a doctrinal praise (māhātmya) establishing the site’s superiority.