Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21
वक्ष्यामि लक्षणं तस्य ज्ञास्यथ तं मुनिम् । प्रतोल्या राजमार्गे तु निशि भूमौ शवं जनैः
vakṣyāmi lakṣaṇaṃ tasya jñāsyatha taṃ munim | pratolyā rājamārge tu niśi bhūmau śavaṃ janaiḥ
«Je vous dirai ses signes distinctifs, grâce auxquels vous reconnaîtrez ce sage. La nuit, sur la voie royale près de la porte de la cité, que l’on dépose un cadavre à même le sol.»
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) — gate/road liminal spot
Type: ghat
Scene: Night at a Kāśī city-gate on the royal road: watchers hide nearby as a corpse lies on the ground. The scene is tense yet sacred, lit by oil lamps and moonlight, evoking Bhairava-like austerity.
FAQs
True spiritual power is recognized by inner detachment, not by outward display; the narrative sets up a test revealing the sage’s nature.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), presented as the stage where extraordinary dharma-events and saintly encounters unfold.
A practical instruction is given—placing a corpse on the road at night—as part of a narrative test, not as a general rite for devotees.