Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87
गोब्राह्मणाग्नीनुच्छिष्ट पाणिना नैव संस्पृशेत् । न स्पृशेदनिमित्ते नखानि स्वानि त्वनातुरः
gobrāhmaṇāgnīnucchiṣṭa pāṇinā naiva saṃspṛśet | na spṛśedanimitte nakhāni svāni tvanāturaḥ
Avec une main souillée par des restes, qu’on ne touche jamais une vache, un brāhmaṇa ni le feu sacré. Et sans motif légitime, qu’un homme sain ne touche pas (ne tripote pas) ses propres ongles.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (contextual)
Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī washes hands after eating, keeping distance from a cow, a brāhmaṇa, and a small sacred fire altar; the city’s ghats and temples appear in the background, emphasizing disciplined conduct.
FAQs
Purity of body and restraint in habits protect sacred relationships—especially toward the cow, the brāhmaṇa, and the fire that sustains ritual life.
The broader setting is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), where correct conduct and purity are presented as integral to receiving the city’s spiritual merit.
A śauca rule: do not touch revered beings or the ritual fire with an impure (ucchiṣṭa) hand; also avoid unnecessary grooming actions like touching nails without need.