Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 67
न स्नानेन न दानेन न जपेन न पूजया । मल्लोकः प्राप्यते देवाः प्राप्यते द्विज तर्पणात्
na snānena na dānena na japena na pūjayā | mallokaḥ prāpyate devāḥ prāpyate dvija tarpaṇāt
Ce n’est ni par le bain, ni par le don (dāna), ni par le japa, ni même par la pūjā que l’on atteint mon monde ; mais, ô deux-fois-né, c’est par le tarpaṇa que l’on atteint les devas.
Skanda
Listener: dvija (addressed)
Scene: A teaching scene: a sage instructs a dvija that tarpaṇa is paramount; in the background, symbolic icons of snāna, dāna, japa, and pūjā appear as secondary, while a water-offering with tila glows brightest, leading to a celestial gateway.
FAQs
Tarpaṇa—acts that ‘satisfy’ devas and Pitṛs through rightful offerings—can surpass even common devotional disciplines when performed correctly.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a general Kāśī Khaṇḍa teaching on ritual efficacy.
Tarpaṇa is recommended as a key rite for attaining divine favor.