The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes The Greatness of Sankarshana Tirtha which is chapter 101 of the English translation of the Skanda Purana, the largest of the eighteen Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient Indian society and Hindu traditions in an encyclopedic format, detailling on topics such as dharma (virtous lifestyle), cosmogony (creation of the universe), mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha) etc. This is the one hundred first chapter of the Reva-khanda of the Avantya-khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 101 - The Greatness of Saṅkarṣaṇa Tīrtha
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:
1-6. Thereafter, O great king, one should go to an extremely splendid Tīrtha on the northern bank of Narmadā in the centre of Yajñavāṭa (sacrificial hall), well-known on the earth as Saṅkarṣaṇa. It is destructive of sins. Formerly, O king, a penance was performed by Balabhadra there.
Devas are present there itself in the vicinity, O prince. Śaṃbhu is stationed there along with Umā. Keśava too is present there.
By way of rendering help to all living beings, Śaṅkara, the destroyer of sins, has been installed there by Balabhadra with great devotion, O great king.
Subduing anger and all the sense-organs, a devotee should take his holy bath on the eleventh day in a bright fortnight (of a month). He should bathe Śiva with honey. One who devoutly performs Śrāddha unto the Pitṛs there itself goes to the highest region in accordance with the words of Balabhadra.