Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 62
भावशुद्धिः परं शौचं प्रमाणं सर्वकर्मसु । अन्यथालिंग्यते कांता भावेन दुहिताऽन्यथा
bhāvaśuddhiḥ paraṃ śaucaṃ pramāṇaṃ sarvakarmasu | anyathāliṃgyate kāṃtā bhāvena duhitā'nyathā
La pureté de l’intention est la propreté suprême et la juste mesure de toute action. Sinon, par une disposition intérieure faussée, on peut étreindre l’aimée comme une fille—ou la fille comme une autre.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A teaching scene where a sage illustrates the peril of misperception: two figures (beloved and daughter) appear in mirrored panels, while a luminous heart-lotus (pure bhāva) clarifies vision; a clouded heart distorts it.
FAQs
Inner intention is the decisive criterion for purity and for the moral quality of any act.
No holy site is referenced; the verse gives a universal dharma principle about intention.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse establishes bhāvaśuddhi as the governing standard for all rituals and actions.