Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
आलापाद्गात्रसंपर्कान्निःश्वासात्सहभोजनात् । पापं संक्रमते यस्मात्तस्मात्तान् परिवर्जयेत्
ālāpādgātrasaṃparkānniḥśvāsātsahabhojanāt | pāpaṃ saṃkramate yasmāttasmāttān parivarjayet
Denn durch Gespräch, leibliche Berührung, ja selbst durch gemeinsamen Atem und gemeinsames Essen, heißt es, überträgt sich Sünde; darum meide man solche Menschen.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (general)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Bhārata/Arjuna (vocative context in nearby verses)
Scene: A pilgrim at a riverside tīrtha turns away from a group engaged in coarse talk and shared drinking/eating, choosing instead the company of calm ascetics and brāhmaṇas; the river flows as a symbol of purification.
FAQs
Dharma emphasizes that character and purity are contagious; spiritual practice requires guarding one’s associations.
The teaching is given within the Vārāha Tīrtha observance instructions in Revā Khaṇḍa.
Avoidance (parivarjana) of impure company—no intimate contact or shared meals during the vow.