Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3
यत्र नैव हरिः स्वामी तीर्थे गेहेऽथ मानसे । शास्त्रे वा तदसत्सर्वं हांसं तीर्थं न वायसम्
yatra naiva hariḥ svāmī tīrthe gehe'tha mānase | śāstre vā tadasatsarvaṃ hāṃsaṃ tīrthaṃ na vāyasam
حيث لا يحضر هري، الربّ السيّد—في تيرثا أو في بيت أو في القلب أو حتى في الشاسترا—فإن كلَّ شيء هناك يصير قاحلًا لا ثمر له. ينبغي للتيرثا أن يكون كالبجعة: طاهرًا بصيرًا، لا كالغراب.
Nārada
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kauravya
Scene: Didactic tableau: Nārada explains four spheres—tīrtha, home shrine, meditating heart, and palm-leaf scripture—each illuminated by a subtle Hari aura; a swan sits by clear water while a crow lingers near refuse, symbolizing discernment.
FAQs
Sacredness is defined by divine presence and inner purity; without Hari, external forms lose their living essence.
The verse teaches a universal criterion for tīrthas rather than naming one; it frames the ideal tīrtha as ‘haṃsa-like’ (pure).
An implicit prescription: establish and maintain Hari’s worship in tīrtha, home, and mind; cultivate purity and discernment (haṃsa-bhāva).