Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 100
ततः प्रभृति राजेंद्र समागत्यात्र मानवाः । रत्नदीपान्प्रदायोच्चैः स्नात्वाऽत्र सलिले शुभे । कार्तिके मासि निर्यांति देहांते त्रिदिवालयम्
tataḥ prabhṛti rājeṃdra samāgatyātra mānavāḥ | ratnadīpānpradāyoccaiḥ snātvā'tra salile śubhe | kārtike māsi niryāṃti dehāṃte tridivālayam
ومنذ ذلك الحين، أيها الملك، يقصد الناس هذا الموضع؛ فيقدّمون بمهابةٍ مصابيحَ مرصّعة بالجواهر، ويغتسلون في هذا الماء المبارك. وعند نهاية العمر—وخاصةً في شهر كارتّيكا—يمضون إلى دار السماء.
Narrator addressing a king (rājendra) within the Mahatmya frame
Type: ghat
Listener: a king (rājendra)
Scene: Pilgrims arrive at a sacred waterbody; at twilight they bathe and place jeweled lamps that glitter on the water’s surface; the month of Kārtika is suggested by clear skies and festive lamps.
FAQs
Pilgrimage combined with charity (lamp-offering) and ritual bathing, especially in Kārtika, is celebrated as a direct path to exalted posthumous destiny.
The tīrtha ‘here’ in Nāgarakhaṇḍa (this auspicious water-body) where snāna and dīpa-dāna are said to yield heavenly attainment.
Ratna-dīpa dāna (offering lamps), snāna (bathing) in the sacred water, with special emphasis on observance in the month of Kārtika.