Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32
वागुवाच । कर्म्मणा यस्तु चंडालः सोऽग्रे मे स्थाप्यतां जनाः । तच्छ्रुत्वा महदाश्चर्यं मतिं चकुर्विलोचने
vāguvāca | karmmaṇā yastu caṃḍālaḥ so'gre me sthāpyatāṃ janāḥ | tacchrutvā mahadāścaryaṃ matiṃ cakurvilocane
বাণী বলল—হে জনেরা! যে কর্মে চণ্ডাল, তাকেই আমার অগ্রে স্থাপন করো। এ কথা শুনে তারা মহা বিস্মিত হল এবং বিচক্ষণ চিন্তায় অনুসন্ধান করতে লাগল।
Aśarīriṇī Vāk (Śiva’s voice from the liṅga)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya liṅga-sthāna (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devas / assembled beings addressed as ‘janāḥ’
Scene: The liṅga radiates a decisive oracle: ‘the caṇḍāla by deeds’; devas and seekers turn inward and outward—some pointing, some contemplating—beginning a search with sharpened eyes (vilocana) and thoughtful faces.
FAQs
Purity and impurity are determined by conduct (karma), not merely by label—dharma is measured by deeds.
Dharmāraṇya’s liṅga is portrayed as a moral authority that defines dharma within the sacred landscape.
A refined instruction: identify and place before the deity the person who is ‘caṇḍāla by deeds’ (karmic misconduct).