Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61
तीर्थभारैः स सुलभो न कौलीन्येन कन्यके । न वेदशास्त्राभ्यसनैर्न चैश्वर्यबलेन वै
tīrthabhāraiḥ sa sulabho na kaulīnyena kanyake | na vedaśāstrābhyasanairna caiśvaryabalena vai
O Mädchen, er wird nicht allein durch Berge von Pilgerfahrten erlangt; nicht durch vornehme Herkunft, nicht durch das Studium von Veden und Śāstras, und wahrlich auch nicht durch die Macht von Reichtum und Herrschaft.
Pitā (Father)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kanyā (maiden)
Scene: A didactic tableau: pilgrims carrying bundles labeled 'tīrtha', a noble family, a scholar with manuscripts, a king with insignia—yet the divine remains distant; a humble ascetic stands nearer through sincerity.
FAQs
External credentials—pilgrimage-count, pedigree, learning, or wealth—do not guarantee the highest dharmic attainment without inner transformation.
Tīrtha is referenced generically; the teaching belongs to the Kāśī Khanda worldview but does not specify a single site.
No specific ritual; it cautions against relying solely on externals such as pilgrimage or scholarship.