Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
कुत्रचित्क्वचिदेवास्य कथंचिच्छुद्धिरस्ति चेत् । न तच्च विद्यते शास्त्रमस्मिन्स्थाने न चास्ति यत्
kutracitkvacidevāsya kathaṃcicchuddhirasti cet | na tacca vidyate śāstramasminsthāne na cāsti yat
إن كان في موضعٍ ما—وبأيّ وجهٍ كان—توجد له طهارةٌ وتطهير، فلا بدّ أن يكون لذلك سندٌ من الشاسترا (śāstra)؛ غير أنّه في هذا المكان لا يُعثر على تعليمٍ مُعتَمدٍ كهذا.
Unnamed Nāgara dvija(s) (deliberation)
Scene: A council of dvijas in a tīrtha precinct, troubled, debating whether any purification is possible without textual authority; palm-leaf manuscripts conspicuously absent; a pilgrim/supplicant stands awaiting judgment.
FAQs
Even when seeking mercy, expiation should be grounded in pramāṇa (authoritative proof), not mere wishful thinking.
The verse references “this place” within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa tīrtha setting, emphasizing that local tradition must align with śāstric authority.
None explicitly; it stresses the need for a textually supported means of purification.