Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 175
अभर्तृकाया नार्याश्च न स्वर्गो मोक्ष एव च । यथैव वृद्धकन्यायाः सरस्वत्यास्तटे शुभे
abhartṛkāyā nāryāśca na svargo mokṣa eva ca | yathaiva vṛddhakanyāyāḥ sarasvatyāstaṭe śubhe
Pour une femme sans époux, on ne parle ni du ciel ni même de la délivrance, comme pour cette vierge vieillie sur la rive bénie de la Sarasvatī.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Sarasvatī-taṭa (exemplum)
Type: ghat
Listener: null
Scene: A solitary elderly maiden stands on a luminous riverbank of Sarasvatī, with ascetic trees and a quiet current; the mood is admonitory and contemplative, foreshadowing a turn toward a Śaiva solution at a nearby tīrtha.
FAQs
It stresses the Purāṇic ideal of dharma through the institution of marriage, using an illustrative story-example tied to a sacred setting.
The narrative references the auspicious bank of the Sarasvatī, framing the example within sacred geography.
No explicit ritual is given; it is a dharma-oriented statement setting up the need for a remedy through a sacred vow or divine choice.