Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17
कुरुक्षेत्रादितीर्थानि रथगम्यानि यानि तु । तान्येव ब्राह्मणो यायादानदोषो न तेषु वै
kurukṣetrāditīrthāni rathagamyāni yāni tu | tānyeva brāhmaṇo yāyādānadoṣo na teṣu vai
บรรดาทีรถะทั้งหลายเริ่มด้วยกุรุเกษตร ซึ่งไปถึงได้ด้วยรถศึก พราหมณ์พึงไปเฉพาะทีรถะเหล่านั้นเท่านั้น; การโดยสารยานไปนั้นแท้จริงไม่มีโทษเลย
Īśvarī (Pārvatī) or a Devī addressed as 'Īśvari' (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)
Tirtha: Kurukṣetra (as archetype)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (implicit continuation of address)
Scene: A brāhmaṇa pilgrim rides a modest chariot along a dusty sacred road lined with way-shrines, approaching a tīrtha signified by a riverbank and sacrificial altars; the emphasis is on propriety, not luxury.
FAQs
Pilgrimage should be aligned with dharma; when a tīrtha is traditionally approached by vehicle, using a chariot is not considered blameworthy.
Kurukṣetra is named as a leading example among recognized pilgrimage-sites.
A behavioral prescription: for certain tīrthas, travel by chariot/vehicle is permitted without incurring doṣa.