Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1
सारस्वत उवाच । छित्त्वा शुभाशुभं कर्म मुक्तिमिच्छेच्छिवां ततः । इदं न शक्यते कर्त्तुं शुभं कार्यं तदा नरैः
sārasvata uvāca | chittvā śubhāśubhaṃ karma muktimicchecchivāṃ tataḥ | idaṃ na śakyate karttuṃ śubhaṃ kāryaṃ tadā naraiḥ
Sārasvata sprach: Nachdem man sowohl verdienstvolle als auch unverdienstliche Taten abgeschnitten hat, soll man sodann nach der glückverheißenden Befreiung Śivas verlangen. Doch dieser erhabene Zustand ist von Menschen nicht leicht zu vollbringen; darum muss man wahrhaft tugendhafte Werke unternehmen.
Sārasvata
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: Sārasvata, seated as a teacher, holds a palm-leaf manuscript; behind him a symbolic pair of scales labeled śubha/aśubha is cut by a sword of discernment, while a radiant Śiva-linga or Śiva form appears as the goal.
FAQs
True liberation is Śiva-centered and requires transcending attachment to both merit and sin, while still committing to dharmic action as a practical path.
The instruction is embedded in the Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, tying liberation-teachings to the sanctity of that kṣetra.
No single rite is specified here; the verse frames the broader discipline of renouncing karmic bondage and pursuing auspicious dharma leading to Śiva-mukti.