Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 83
किं पावनाः प्रकीर्त्यंते रासभा भस्मधूसराः । स स्नातः सर्वतीर्थेषु मलैः सर्वैर्विवर्जितः
kiṃ pāvanāḥ prakīrtyaṃte rāsabhā bhasmadhūsarāḥ | sa snātaḥ sarvatīrtheṣu malaiḥ sarvairvivarjitaḥ
Warum sollte man Esel, die nur vom Aschestaub grau sind, als „rein“ preisen? Wer von jeder Unreinheit frei ist—nur er ist, als hätte er in allen Tīrthas gebadet.
Skanda (deduced from Dharmāraṇya-khaṇḍa narrative style within Brahmakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha-snāna (metaphorical)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A humorous yet instructive tableau: a donkey dusted in ash stands near a cremation-ground edge, while a serene sage with clear eyes stands radiant—subtle light around him—signifying freedom from impurities and ‘all-tīrtha’ merit.
FAQs
External marks alone do not purify; freedom from inner and outer impurities is the real ‘bath in all tīrthas’.
No single site is named; the verse universalizes tīrtha-merit as the fruit of genuine purity.
It discourages relying on mere external appearance (e.g., being ash-covered) and points to impurity-removal as the true purification.