Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1
श्रीमुनय ऊचुः । दक्षिणार्णवतीरेषु यानि तीर्थानि पंच च । तानि ब्रूहि विशालाक्ष वर्णयंत्यति तानि च
śrīmunaya ūcuḥ | dakṣiṇārṇavatīreṣu yāni tīrthāni paṃca ca | tāni brūhi viśālākṣa varṇayaṃtyati tāni ca
Wika ng mga kagalang-galang na muni: “Sa mga pampang ng Dakṣiṇārṇava ay may limang tīrtha, mga banal na pook ng pagligo. O ikaw na may malalawak na mata, sabihin mo sa amin ang tungkol sa mga iyon, at ilarawan mo sila ayon sa kanilang papuri.”
Sages (Munis) addressing Sūta (Ugraśravā), per Purāṇic dialogue convention
Tirtha: Five tīrthas on the Dakṣiṇārṇava shore (pañca-tīrtha)
Type: ghat
Listener: the addressed narrator ‘viśālākṣa’ (wide-eyed one)
Scene: A forest hermitage assembly: sages seated in a semicircle, addressing a ‘wide-eyed’ narrator; in the distance a broad southern sea/river expanse (Dakṣiṇārṇava) with five marked bathing spots—ghāṭas, small shrines, and pilgrims descending steps.
FAQs
Pilgrimage knowledge is transmitted through humble inquiry—sages request an authoritative account of holy places.
The verse introduces five tīrthas situated on the shore of Dakṣiṇārṇava (to be detailed in the ensuing narrative).
Implicitly tīrtha-sevā (visiting/bathing), but no specific rite is stated in this verse.