Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13
अत्र भूमितले विप्र सर्वेषां तीर्थमुत्तमम् । अल्पकालेन सन्तुष्टिं यत्र याति महेश्वरः । वासुदेवोऽथवा ब्रह्मा ह्येतच्छीघ्रं वदस्व मे
atra bhūmitale vipra sarveṣāṃ tīrthamuttamam | alpakālena santuṣṭiṃ yatra yāti maheśvaraḥ | vāsudevo'thavā brahmā hyetacchīghraṃ vadasva me
Ó brāhmaṇa, nesta terra, qual é o tīrtha supremo entre todos os tīrthas, onde, em pouco tempo, Maheśvara, ou Vāsudeva, ou Brahmā se compraz? Dize-me isso depressa.
The king/ruler addressing Vasiṣṭha
Tirtha: Sarvottama Tīrtha (unnamed in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The king earnestly questions Vasiṣṭha, gesturing toward the earth as if seeking the single सर्वोत्तम tīrtha; above, subtle iconographic hints of Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā as witnesses.
FAQs
Pilgrimage is sought as a swift path to divine grace; the seeker asks for the most efficacious sacred place.
The verse asks for the सर्वोत्तम tīrtha but does not name it; identification follows in subsequent verses.
No specific rite is stated; the focus is on choosing a tīrtha that grants quick divine satisfaction.