Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6
श्रीदेव्युवाच । कलिकाले महादेव भविष्यति कथंचन । स्नानं तस्मान्मम ब्रूहि यत्सारं तीर्थमेव हि
śrīdevyuvāca | kalikāle mahādeva bhaviṣyati kathaṃcana | snānaṃ tasmānmama brūhi yatsāraṃ tīrthameva hi
ஸ்ரீதேவி கூறினாள்—மகாதேவா, கலியுகத்தில் உயிர்களின் நிலை எவ்வாறு இருக்கும்? ஆகவே உண்மையில் சாரமான அந்த ஸ்நானத்தையும் அந்த தீர்த்தத்தையும் எனக்குச் சொல்லுங்கள்.
Śrī Devī (Pārvatī)
Tirtha: Sāra-tīrtha (requested; to be specified in subsequent verses)
Listener: Mahādeva (Śiva)
Scene: Devī, compassionate and concerned, questions Mahādeva about the fate of beings in Kali-yuga and asks for the ‘sāra’—the essential tīrtha and essential bathing practice; the atmosphere is dusk-like, suggesting the waning of dharma.
FAQs
In Kali-yuga, seekers look for a concentrated, accessible essence of dharma—an especially efficacious tīrtha and snāna.
No single site is named yet; Devī requests the ‘sāra-tīrtha’ which Śiva will identify next as Hāṭakeśvara.
The focus is on snāna (sacred bathing) as the key rite, seeking the most essential place to perform it.