Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29
न प्रायशस्तपस्व्येष क्व तपः क्वास्त्रधारणम् । न गृहस्थेषु गण्योसौ श्मशाननिलयो यतः
na prāyaśastapasvyeṣa kva tapaḥ kvāstradhāraṇam | na gṛhastheṣu gaṇyosau śmaśānanilayo yataḥ
Er ist kaum ein Asket—wo ist seine Askese, und wo das Tragen von Waffen? Auch unter den Haushältern wird er nicht gezählt, denn seine Wohnstatt ist der Verbrennungsplatz.
Dakṣa (as reported in Skanda’s narration)
Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā (within Kāśī)
Type: ghat
Scene: A speaker dismisses conventional labels—ascetic, householder—while the background shows a cremation ground with funeral pyres, ash, and a serene yet formidable Śiva presence implied by trident and bull-banner.
FAQs
Spiritual greatness is not confined to social stages; misjudging sacred symbols (like the śmaśāna) becomes a cause of offense.
No named tīrtha; the verse references the śmaśāna motif central to Śaiva theology, within the larger Kāśī sacred narrative.
None.