Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4
श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । साधु साधु महाबाहो सोमवंशविभूषण । पृष्टोऽस्मि दुर्लभं तीर्थं गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं परम्
śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | sādhu sādhu mahābāho somavaṃśavibhūṣaṇa | pṛṣṭo'smi durlabhaṃ tīrthaṃ guhyādguhyataraṃ param
ஸ்ரீ மார்கண்டேயர் கூறினார்— நன்று, நன்று, ஓ மகாபாஹு, சோமவம்சத்தின் அலங்காரமே! நீ அரிதான தீர்த்தத்தைப் பற்றி கேட்டாய்— அது பரமமும், மறைவினும் மிக மறைவானதும் ஆகும்।
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Guhya-tīrtha on Revā (unnamed in this verse; anticipatory)
Type: kshetra
Listener: A Soma-vaṃśa kṣatriya (ornament of the Lunar dynasty; specific name not in verse)
Scene: A forest-āśrama setting: sage Mārkaṇḍeya, serene and radiant, praises a royal/questioner of the Soma lineage, signaling the opening of a secret tīrtha teaching.
FAQs
Reverent questioning about dharma and tīrthas opens access to rare, profound sacred knowledge.
The verse introduces a ‘rare and secret’ tīrtha; its specific identification follows in the subsequent narrative.
None; it is a commendation and preface to the tīrtha’s explanation.