Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25
देवारण्येषु सर्वेषु नदीषु च नदेषु च । पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि समुद्राद्यानि भारत
devāraṇyeṣu sarveṣu nadīṣu ca nadeṣu ca | pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni samudrādyāni bhārata
تمام دیویہ جنگلوں میں، دریاؤں اور ندی نالوں میں، اور زمین پر جتنے بھی تیرتھ ہیں—سمندروں سے آغاز کر کے، اے بھارت—وہ ان سب میں سیر کرتا رہا۔
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha-saṅgraha (all tīrthas collectively)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Bhārata
Scene: A montage-map: Kumāra traverses forests, riverbanks, mountain passes, and ocean shores; small vignettes show snāna at a river, worship in a forest shrine, and standing before the sea—suggesting a sacred atlas.
FAQs
Dharma is nurtured through sacred geography: tīrthas, rivers, forests, and seas are living supports for purification and spiritual discipline.
The verse broadly glorifies all tīrthas—rivers, sacred forests, and oceans—framing the Purāṇa’s pan-Indian pilgrimage vision.
No single rite; it implies tīrtha-sevā—approaching holy places for purification, worship, and spiritual practice.