Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29
न प्रायशस्तपस्व्येष क्व तपः क्वास्त्रधारणम् । न गृहस्थेषु गण्योसौ श्मशाननिलयो यतः
na prāyaśastapasvyeṣa kva tapaḥ kvāstradhāraṇam | na gṛhastheṣu gaṇyosau śmaśānanilayo yataḥ
Il n’est guère un ascète—où sont ses austérités, et où le port des armes ? Il n’est pas non plus compté parmi les chefs de maison, car sa demeure est le lieu de crémation.
Dakṣa (as reported in Skanda’s narration)
Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā (within Kāśī)
Type: ghat
Scene: A speaker dismisses conventional labels—ascetic, householder—while the background shows a cremation ground with funeral pyres, ash, and a serene yet formidable Śiva presence implied by trident and bull-banner.
FAQs
Spiritual greatness is not confined to social stages; misjudging sacred symbols (like the śmaśāna) becomes a cause of offense.
No named tīrtha; the verse references the śmaśāna motif central to Śaiva theology, within the larger Kāśī sacred narrative.
None.