Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 67
तीर्थानि च गुहं नाथं सम्मान्य विससर्ज सः । एवमेतत्पुरा वृत्तं गुप्तक्षेत्रस्य कारणम्
tīrthāni ca guhaṃ nāthaṃ sammānya visasarja saḥ | evametatpurā vṛttaṃ guptakṣetrasya kāraṇam
அவன் தீர்த்தங்களையும் நாதன் குஹன் (ஸ்கந்தன்) அவரையும் முறையாகப் போற்றி, பின்னர் அவர்களை அனுப்பிவைத்தான். இவ்வாறே பழங்காலத்தில் நிகழ்ந்தது—இதுவே ‘குப்தக்ஷேத்ரம்’ எனப்படும் காரணம்॥
Narratorial voice within Sūta’s discourse (context: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa dialogue to sages)
Tirtha: Guptakṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: After honoring the tīrthas and Guha, Brahmā performs a formal dismissal; the sacred presences subtly withdraw, leaving the landscape outwardly quiet—hence ‘hidden kṣetra’.
FAQs
A tīrtha’s name and fame arise from sacred events; honoring divinity and holy places sustains their hidden and revealed power.
Guptakṣetra is explained through its origin-cause, with Guha (Skanda) and the tīrthas central to the account.
Respectful honoring (sammāna) of the deity and tīrthas—an implicit prescription of reverence in pilgrimage practice.