Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 63
गोष्ठाग्निजलरथ्यासु तरुच्छायानगेषु च । त्यजंति ये पुरीषाद्यमारामायतनेषु च
goṣṭhāgnijalarathyāsu tarucchāyānageṣu ca | tyajaṃti ye purīṣādyamārāmāyataneṣu ca
Wer seine Notdurft — Kot und dergleichen — in Kuhställen, nahe beim Feuer, im Wasser, auf Wegen, unter dem Schatten von Bäumen, auf Bergen sowie in Gärten und innerhalb von Tempelbezirken verrichtet, wird wegen Unreinheit und Sünde getadelt.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: General tīrtha-śauca (not a named site)
Type: ghat
Scene: A tīrtha landscape with river steps, temple courtyard, shaded rest trees, and a mountain path; attendants guide pilgrims toward proper latrine areas away from sacred zones; the impure act is shown as a cautionary vignette.
FAQs
External cleanliness supports inner purity; defiling sacred and public spaces is a dharmic offense.
No single site is named; the verse protects all tīrthas, temples, and public ways through purity discipline.
Maintain śauca by avoiding defilement of waters, roads, gardens, and temple areas.