Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 62
भावशुद्धिः परं शौचं प्रमाणं सर्वकर्मसु । अन्यथालिंग्यते कांता भावेन दुहिताऽन्यथा
bhāvaśuddhiḥ paraṃ śaucaṃ pramāṇaṃ sarvakarmasu | anyathāliṃgyate kāṃtā bhāvena duhitā'nyathā
Purity of intention is the highest cleanliness and the true measure in all deeds. Otherwise, through a mistaken inner attitude, one may embrace the beloved as though she were a daughter—or the daughter as though she were another.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A teaching scene where a sage illustrates the peril of misperception: two figures (beloved and daughter) appear in mirrored panels, while a luminous heart-lotus (pure bhāva) clarifies vision; a clouded heart distorts it.
FAQs
Inner intention is the decisive criterion for purity and for the moral quality of any act.
No holy site is referenced; the verse gives a universal dharma principle about intention.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse establishes bhāvaśuddhi as the governing standard for all rituals and actions.