Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95
अतिथिरुवाच । अहं भीतः सहस्राणि ग्रामाणां च शतानि च । यत्रास्तमितशायी सन्ननेकानि द्विजोत्तमाः । संख्यया रहितान्येव वर्षाणां च शतानि च
atithiruvāca | ahaṃ bhītaḥ sahasrāṇi grāmāṇāṃ ca śatāni ca | yatrāstamitaśāyī sannanekāni dvijottamāḥ | saṃkhyayā rahitānyeva varṣāṇāṃ ca śatāni ca
اتِتھی نے کہا: “خوف کے مارے میں ہزاروں گاؤں اور سینکڑوں مزید بستیوں میں بھٹکتا رہا—ایسی جگہوں میں جہاں بہت سے برہمنِ برتر غروبِ آفتاب کے وقت آرام کو لیٹتے تھے۔ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ میں گنتی سے باہر، سینکڑوں برس گزار آیا ہوں۔”
Atithi
Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ)
Scene: A lone traveler/atithi moves from village to village at dusk; brāhmaṇas are seen settling for the night after sunset rites; the traveler’s face shows fear and fatigue, suggesting centuries passing like a blur.
FAQs
Worldly wandering across countless places and long spans of time does not itself grant fulfillment; it sets the stage for seeking true sacred purpose through dharma and tīrtha.
This verse is preparatory and does not name a single tīrtha; it frames Atithi’s long journey before the promised sacred event in this Adhyāya.
No direct ritual instruction appears here; it is narrative context describing travel and duration.