Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3
प्रोक्तं च कार्तिके मासि कृत्तिकास्थे निशाकरे । सम्यग्भीष्मव्रतं कृत्वा स्नात्वात्र सलिले शुभे
proktaṃ ca kārtike māsi kṛttikāsthe niśākare | samyagbhīṣmavrataṃ kṛtvā snātvātra salile śubhe
وقد أُعلِنَ أنه في شهر كارتِيكا، حين يكون القمر في كِرِتّيكَا، ينبغي أداء نذر بهيشما على الوجه الصحيح ثم الاغتسال هنا في هذه المياه المباركة.
Sūta (continued narration)
Type: kund
Scene: A moonlit Kārtika night: pilgrims at a sacred waterbody, the moon in Kṛttikā, devotees performing Bhīṣma-vrata austerities and entering the water with folded hands.
FAQs
Right timing (Kārtika, Kṛttikā) and disciplined observance (vrata) amplify the sanctifying power of tīrtha-bathing.
Brahmakuṇḍa (the ‘here’ of the passage), introduced as a pure and auspicious bathing site.
Perform Bhīṣma-vrata properly and bathe (snāna) in the auspicious waters during Kārtika when the moon is in Kṛttikā.