Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 190
सूर्यग्रहे कुरुक्षेत्रे नर्मदायां शशिग्रहे । तुलादानस्य यत्पुण्यं तदत्र दीपदानतः
sūryagrahe kurukṣetre narmadāyāṃ śaśigrahe | tulādānasya yatpuṇyaṃ tadatra dīpadānataḥ
سورج گرہن کے وقت کوروکشیتر میں، یا چاند گرہن کے وقت نرمدا کے کنارے، تُلا دان سے جو پُنّیہ ملتا ہے—یہاں وہی پُنّیہ چراغ دان کرنے سے حاصل ہوتا ہے۔
Brahmā (deduced: Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa narrative style—Brahmā to Nārada)
Tirtha: Ayodhyā (contextual ‘atra’)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Night falls over the ghāṭa; rows of small lamps float on the river, forming a luminous path; priests chant while pilgrims place lamps with careful hands; distant temple spires silhouette against the glow.
FAQs
Even a small act of dharma—offering a lamp with devotion—can equal the merit of renowned, difficult pilgrim-rites.
The verse compares famous merit-sites (Kurukṣetra, Narmadā) to the ‘here’ of Ayodhyāmāhātmya’s praised sacred setting, where dīpadāna is especially potent.
Dīpadāna (donation/lighting of a lamp), presented as equal in fruit to tulā-dāna performed at eclipse-times in major tīrthas.