Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13
नवषट्च तथा तिस्रस्तत्र तीर्थे नृपोत्तम । आपोहिष्ठेति त्रिरावृत्य प्रतिग्राहैर्न लिप्यते
navaṣaṭca tathā tisrastatra tīrthe nṛpottama | āpohiṣṭheti trirāvṛtya pratigrāhairna lipyate
Là, en ce tīrtha, ô meilleur des rois, qu’on accomplisse les comptes de neuf, de six et aussi de trois ; et, en répétant trois fois « Āpo hi ṣṭhā… », on n’est pas souillé par l’acceptation de dons (pratigraha).
Skanda (deduced: Revā Khaṇḍa narrative instruction)
Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (unspecified sub-tīrtha)
Type: ghat
Listener: nṛpottama
Scene: A king listens to a sage at a riverside tīrtha; the sage demonstrates counting on fingers (9-6-3) and reciting ‘Āpo hi ṣṭhā…’ three times over water, indicating freedom from pratigraha-taint.
FAQs
It presents tīrtha-mantra practice as a purifier even for socially/ethically sensitive acts like accepting gifts, when done with proper discipline.
The verse refers to ‘that tīrtha’ in context—linked in this adhyāya to Sāvitrī-tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa.
Perform specified counts (nine, six, three) and repeat the ‘Āpo hi ṣṭhā…’ mantra three times to avoid taint from pratigraha.