Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61
तीर्थभारैः स सुलभो न कौलीन्येन कन्यके । न वेदशास्त्राभ्यसनैर्न चैश्वर्यबलेन वै
tīrthabhāraiḥ sa sulabho na kaulīnyena kanyake | na vedaśāstrābhyasanairna caiśvaryabalena vai
হে কন্যা, তীৰ্থভ্ৰমণৰ ঢেৰ কৰিলেও তেওঁ সহজে লাভ্য নহয়; ন কৌলীন্যৰে, ন বেদ-শাস্ত্ৰ অধ্যয়নে, ন ধন-ঐশ্বৰ্য আৰু আধিপত্যৰ বলেও।
Pitā (Father)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kanyā (maiden)
Scene: A didactic tableau: pilgrims carrying bundles labeled 'tīrtha', a noble family, a scholar with manuscripts, a king with insignia—yet the divine remains distant; a humble ascetic stands nearer through sincerity.
FAQs
External credentials—pilgrimage-count, pedigree, learning, or wealth—do not guarantee the highest dharmic attainment without inner transformation.
Tīrtha is referenced generically; the teaching belongs to the Kāśī Khanda worldview but does not specify a single site.
No specific ritual; it cautions against relying solely on externals such as pilgrimage or scholarship.