Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46
किं तस्य बहुभिर्यज्ञैर्दानैर्वा बहुदक्षिणैः । स्नात्वा चतुष्टये लोके अवाप्तं जन्मनः फलम्
kiṃ tasya bahubhiryajñairdānairvā bahudakṣiṇaiḥ | snātvā catuṣṭaye loke avāptaṃ janmanaḥ phalam
Quel besoin a-t-il de nombreux yajñas, ou de dons aux dakṣiṇā généreuses ? En se baignant dans le saint ensemble quadruple, il a obtenu en ce monde même le véritable fruit de la naissance humaine.
Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate context of Revā Khaṇḍa narration)
Tirtha: Catuṣṭaya-tīrtha (fourfold sacred complex; specific name not given in the verse)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim approaches a fourfold sacred bathing complex—four adjacent waters/ghāṭas or four linked shrines—offering añjali before entering the water; priests and ascetics witness the act; the atmosphere suggests that a single snāna equals many grand sacrifices.
FAQs
Direct engagement with a consecrated tīrtha—done with devotion—can fulfill the aim of life more simply than elaborate ritual expenditure.
The ‘catuṣṭaya’—a fourfold cluster of sacred bathing places described in Adhyāya 133 (including Varuṇeśvara and Vāteśvara).
Snāna (bathing) across the fourfold tīrtha-set; the verse contrasts this with yajña, dāna, and dakṣiṇā.