Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4
तत्र तीर्थे महापुण्ये तपस्तप्त्वा सुदुष्करम् । भुञ्जन्ति विविधान्भोगान्क्रीडन्ति च यथासुखम्
tatra tīrthe mahāpuṇye tapastaptvā suduṣkaram | bhuñjanti vividhānbhogānkrīḍanti ca yathāsukham
اس نہایت پُنیہ تیرتھ میں سخت ترین تپسیا کر کے وہ طرح طرح کے بھوگ بھگتتے ہیں اور اپنی مرضی کے مطابق خوشی سے کھیلتے پھرتے ہیں۔
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Sarpa-tīrtha
Type: tirtha
Listener: Bhārata
Scene: At a radiant river-tīrtha, nāga nobles and their kin are shown after intense austerities—matted hair, sacred marks—now transformed into resplendent beings enjoying celestial-like pleasures and playful sport in a hidden grove by the waters.
FAQs
Severe tapas performed in a sanctified place yields exalted states and fulfilled enjoyments, showing the fruitfulness of disciplined dharma.
Sarpa-tīrtha is praised as “mahāpuṇya,” a place where austerities bear extraordinary fruit.
No specific ritual is prescribed here beyond the general principle of performing tapas at the tīrtha.