Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 100
ततः श्रद्धार्द्रचित्तस्य स्नानं लिंगस्य चाचरेत् । गृहीत्वा गडुकं पूर्वं मलस्नानं समाचरेत्
tataḥ śraddhārdracittasya snānaṃ liṃgasya cācaret | gṛhītvā gaḍukaṃ pūrvaṃ malasnānaṃ samācaret
Dann soll man, mit vom Glauben erweichtem Herzen, die rituelle Waschung des Liṅga vollziehen. Zuerst nehme man das Wassergefäß (gaḍuka) und verrichte das reinigende Bad zur Entfernung der Unreinheit (malasnāna).
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Listener: King (nṛpa) addressed in the sequence
Scene: A devotee with moist-eyed faith holds a gaḍuka, first rinsing and cleansing the liṅga base and surroundings (malasnāna), then preparing for a fuller abhiṣeka; water streams glint in lamplight.
FAQs
External cleansing becomes meaningful when performed with śraddhā—faith that purifies the heart along with the rite.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned; it is a procedural instruction for liṅga-abhiṣeka.
Begin liṅga bathing by first performing malasnāna (a cleansing wash) using a water vessel (gaḍuka).