Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46
अस्पृष्टहीनजातिः स शुचिष्मान्स्थंडिलेशयः । आनयञ्ज्वरितोप्यासीन्मध्ये मार्गं धनंजयः
aspṛṣṭahīnajātiḥ sa śuciṣmānsthaṃḍileśayaḥ | ānayañjvaritopyāsīnmadhye mārgaṃ dhanaṃjayaḥ
Obwohl von niedriger Geburt und als „Unberührbarer“ angesehen, war er rein und schlief auf bloßer Erde; selbst vom Fieber gezeichnet trug Dhanaṃjaya (die Überreste) weiter mitten auf der Straße.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (destination)
Type: river
Scene: A feverish yet determined Dhanaṃjaya walks the center of the road carrying the copper casket; he sleeps on bare ground at night; passersby keep distance due to ‘untouchable’ stigma, while a subtle sacred radiance surrounds his act.
FAQs
Purity and dharma are measured by conduct and perseverance, not social label; hardship borne for sacred duty is praised.
The implied destination remains the Gaṅgā within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative framework, which broadly glorifies Kāśī and its sacred ecosystem.
No new ritual step is prescribed; the verse emphasizes austerity, purity, and steadfast continuation of the sacred duty despite illness.