Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 179
न मे स्वभावेषु भवंति लेपास्तोयस्य बिंदोरिव पुष्करेषु । नित्यस्य मे नैव भवंत्यनित्या निरीक्षमाणस्य बहुस्यभावात्
na me svabhāveṣu bhavaṃti lepāstoyasya biṃdoriva puṣkareṣu | nityasya me naiva bhavaṃtyanityā nirīkṣamāṇasya bahusyabhāvāt
No stains cling to my nature—like a drop of water upon a lotus leaf. For me, who abide in the Eternal, the non-eternal do not truly arise, for I behold the manifold as mere changing states.
A spiritually realized son (speaker not named in the snippet; Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative context)
Scene: A pristine lotus leaf holds a shining water-drop that never wets it; behind, a luminous figure (the knower) stands untouched while scenes of worldly change swirl like reflections.
FAQs
Established in the Eternal Self, one remains untouched by worldly ‘stains,’ like water that cannot cling to a lotus leaf.
No tīrtha is referenced; the verse is a metaphysical teaching on purity and detachment.
No external ritual is stated; the implied practice is sustained self-inquiry and steady witnessing (nirīkṣaṇa).