Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 61
अंतर्भावप्रदुष्टस्य विशतोऽपि हुताशनम् । न स्वर्गो नापपर्गश्च देहनिर्दहनं परम्
aṃtarbhāvapraduṣṭasya viśato'pi hutāśanam | na svargo nāpapargaśca dehanirdahanaṃ param
Wer innerlich befleckt ist, dem bringt selbst das Eintreten ins heilige Feuer weder Himmel noch Befreiung—nur das endgültige Verbrennen des Leibes.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A stark didactic tableau: a person steps into a blazing sacrificial fire while a sage points to the heart, showing that without inner purification the act ends only in cremation-like burning, not ascent to heaven.
FAQs
Without inner purity, even drastic religious acts cannot produce spiritual fruits like heaven or liberation.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is on the inner condition as the determinant of results.
No prescription is given; an extreme act (entering fire) is cited to show that inner purity is essential.