Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11
म्लेच्छा अपि सुतीर्थेषु ये मृतानात्मघातकाः । विहाय काशीं निर्वाण विश्राणांतेऽत्र भोगिनः
mlecchā api sutīrtheṣu ye mṛtānātmaghātakāḥ | vihāya kāśīṃ nirvāṇa viśrāṇāṃte'tra bhoginaḥ
Même les mlecchas, s’ils meurent aux tīrtha sublimes—pourvu qu’ils ne soient pas des suicidés—, après avoir quitté Kāśī, reçoivent ici le don de la délivrance, après avoir goûté aux fruits de leurs mérites.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī su-tīrthas (Gaṅgā-ghāṭas within Avimukta)
Type: ghat
Listener: Purāṇic audience
Scene: A poignant riverside deathbed scene at a Kāśī ghat: an outsider pilgrim lies peacefully facing the Gaṅgā and a distant Śiva shrine; attendants chant; a luminous, compassionate presence of Śiva bestows release; the mood balances awe and tenderness.
FAQs
Sacred tīrthas uplift all, regardless of origin, but self-harm (ātmaghāta) is a grave obstacle to auspicious destiny.
Kāśī and the wider network of su-tīrthas; Kāśī is implied as the central liberating field (mokṣa-kṣetra).
No explicit rite; it underscores the religious importance of dying in a tīrtha and the prohibition of suicide.