Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1
। सूत उवाच । तत्राश्चर्यमभूत्पूर्वं यत्तद्ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः । तद्वोऽहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि गंगामाहात्म्यसंभवम्
| sūta uvāca | tatrāścaryamabhūtpūrvaṃ yattadbrāhmaṇasattamāḥ | tadvo'haṃ saṃpravakṣyāmi gaṃgāmāhātmyasaṃbhavam
ସୂତ କହିଲେ—ହେ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠମାନେ! ସେଠାରେ ପୂର୍ବକାଳରେ ଏକ ଆଶ୍ଚର୍ଯ୍ୟ ଘଟିଥିଲା; ଗଙ୍ଗାମାହାତ୍ମ୍ୟରୁ ଉଦ୍ଭବିତ ସେହି ଘଟଣାକୁ ମୁଁ ଏବେ ତୁମମାନଙ୍କୁ କହୁଛି।
Sūta
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (māhātmya source)
Type: river
Listener: brāhmaṇa-sattamāḥ (assembled sages/brāhmaṇas)
Scene: Sūta, seated in a forest-assembly (nāimiṣa-like), addresses attentive brāhmaṇas; behind him a symbolic Gaṅgā flows, indicating the story’s source in her greatness.
FAQs
The Purāṇa frames sacred places through sacred stories: Gaṅgā’s greatness manifests as transformative events worth remembering.
Gaṅgā-related tīrtha context is introduced; the narrative is presented as arising from Gaṅgā-māhātmya.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it serves as a narrative preface to a Gaṅgā-māhātmya account.