Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20
दुःखेन लभ्यते यस्मान्मानुष्यं जन्म भाग्यतः । मानुष्यं जन्म चासाद्य या न धर्मं समाचरेत्
duḥkhena labhyate yasmānmānuṣyaṃ janma bhāgyataḥ | mānuṣyaṃ janma cāsādya yā na dharmaṃ samācaret
„Denn die menschliche Geburt wird nur unter Mühsal erlangt und durch glückliches Geschick. Und wer, nachdem er eine menschliche Geburt erlangt hat, das Dharma nicht übt …“
Śabara
Scene: A didactic moment: the Śabara speaks as if teaching—gesturing toward the river and the path of dharma; symbolic imagery of a human life as a brief lamp beside flowing water.
FAQs
Human birth is rare and precious; its true purpose is fulfilled through practicing dharma.
Indirectly, the tīrtha context frames the teaching, but the verse itself emphasizes dharma rather than naming the site.
The prescription is general: ‘practice dharma’—a broad umbrella that includes vrata, dāna, worship, and right conduct.