Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48
गालव उवाच । असच्छूद्रगतं दास निषेधं विद्धि मानद । स्त्रीणामपि च साध्वीनां नैवाभावः प्रकीर्तितः
gālava uvāca | asacchūdragataṃ dāsa niṣedhaṃ viddhi mānada | strīṇāmapi ca sādhvīnāṃ naivābhāvaḥ prakīrtitaḥ
Gālava dit : « Ô homme de bien, ô serviteur, sache que l’interdiction vise le śūdra dépourvu de vertu ; et pour les femmes aussi — surtout celles qui sont chastes et pieuses — aucune incapacité n’est proclamée. »
Gālava
Tirtha: Śāligrāma
Type: kshetra
Listener: A devotee/servant inquirer (as addressed)
Scene: Sage Gālava speaks firmly yet kindly, clarifying who is truly prohibited; women devotees and humble attendants listen with relief and devotion; Śāligrāma altar remains central.
FAQs
Moral and devotional integrity is emphasized as the key qualification; blanket doubt is corrected by nuanced dharma teaching.
No particular tīrtha is named; the teaching concerns worship-eligibility around Śāligrāma.
It clarifies that the prohibition is directed at the ‘asat’ (unvirtuous) category, while virtuous women are not declared ineligible.