Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68
कंठगाभिर्नृपः शुद्ध्येत्तालुगाभिस्तथोरुजः । स्त्रीशूद्रावास्य संस्पर्शमात्रेणापि विशुद्ध्यतः
kaṃṭhagābhirnṛpaḥ śuddhyettālugābhistathorujaḥ | strīśūdrāvāsya saṃsparśamātreṇāpi viśuddhyataḥ
A king is purified by taking water up to the throat; one afflicted in the thigh or groin is purified with water reaching up to the palate. A woman and a śūdra are purified even by mere contact with the mouth—the minimal form of ācamana.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly as Skanda teaching Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (ghāṭa context)
Type: ghat
Scene: A pilgrim-teacher on a Gaṅgā ghāṭa instructs different devotees—king, infirm person, woman, and śūdra—on graded ācamana, with water vessels and the river in the background.
FAQs
Purificatory rites are graded by capacity and circumstance, aiming at accessibility while preserving ritual order.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse gives general ācamana standards within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa.
Different degrees of ācamana: throat-level for a king, palate-level for certain ailments, and minimal mouth-touch for women and śūdras.