Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 82
चण्डालवेश्मन्यथ वा स्मशाने राज्ञश्च मार्गेश्वथ वर्त्ममध्ये । करीषमध्ये निःसृता नराधमाः शैवं पदं यांति न संशयोऽत्र
caṇḍālaveśmanyatha vā smaśāne rājñaśca mārgeśvatha vartmamadhye | karīṣamadhye niḥsṛtā narādhamāḥ śaivaṃ padaṃ yāṃti na saṃśayo'tra
Que ce soit dans la demeure d’un caṇḍāla, ou au champ de crémation, ou sur les routes du roi, ou au milieu de la grand-route—fussent-ils des misérables, comme sortis de tas de fumier—ils atteignent l’état śaiva ; là-dessus, point de doute.
Īśvara (Śiva)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Śaiva salvific field)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A stark yet hopeful montage: a caṇḍāla dwelling, a cremation ground with pyres, a royal road and a highway; from dung-heaps emerge destitute figures who, through Śiva’s grace, are shown ascending toward a radiant Śaiva realm or approaching a glowing liṅga.
FAQs
Śiva’s grace is depicted as overpowering impurity and social stigma, granting the Śaiva goal even to the most fallen.
Prabhāsa Kṣetra and the salvific power associated with Śiva’s presence there (Pāśupateśvara context).
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse emphasizes the certainty of attaining the Śaiva state through Śiva’s salvific power.