Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5
तीर्थस्नानैर्न सा शुद्धिर्बहुदानैर्न तत्फलम् । तपोभिरुग्रैस्तन्नाप्यमुपकृत्याय दाप्यते
tīrthasnānairna sā śuddhirbahudānairna tatphalam | tapobhirugraistannāpyamupakṛtyāya dāpyate
That purity is not gained merely by bathing at sacred tīrthas, nor is that fruit won by abundant gifts; even fierce austerities cannot purchase what is obtained through doing good to others.
Pārāśarya (contextual continuation)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Ganga-ghāṭas implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghat pauses mid-ritual to serve a needy traveler; the river and temples frame the moral pivot from rite to compassion.
FAQs
Inner purity and higher merit are most powerfully secured through selfless beneficence, beyond ritual acts performed in isolation.
Tīrtha-bathing is referenced generically; the emphasis is that even tīrtha practices find their fullness when joined with compassion.
Snāna (sacred bathing), dāna (charity), and tapas (austerity) are mentioned, but the verse elevates upakṛti (helping others) as the decisive practice.