Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45
देहं सुपुष्टं विजरं च यौवनं लब्ध्वा न गंगादिषु यांति ये नराः । माता पिता नो न सुतो न बांधवो भार्या स्वसा नो दुहिता न विद्यते
dehaṃ supuṣṭaṃ vijaraṃ ca yauvanaṃ labdhvā na gaṃgādiṣu yāṃti ye narāḥ | mātā pitā no na suto na bāṃdhavo bhāryā svasā no duhitā na vidyate
Ceux qui, ayant obtenu un corps bien nourri et la vigueur de la jeunesse, ne se rendent pas au Gaṅgā et aux autres eaux sacrées—pour eux, c’est comme s’ils n’avaient ni mère, ni père, ni fils, ni parenté ; comme s’il n’existait pour eux ni épouse, ni sœur, ni fille.
Sūta (deduced)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa-kṣetra) with archetypal reference to Gaṅgā and other tīrthas
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A youthful pilgrim stands at a crossroads: behind him a prosperous household scene fades into shadow; ahead, luminous sacred waters with Gaṅgā iconography and distant Prabhāsa shrines beckon, suggesting that neglect severs one from familial and spiritual continuity.
FAQs
Human strength and youth are meant for dharma; neglecting pilgrimage to sacred waters is portrayed as a profound squander of life’s support system.
Gaṅgā and allied tīrthas are explicitly praised; within Prabhāsa’s Vastrāpatha māhātmya, this supports the broader tīrtha culture of sacred travel.
Tīrtha-yātrā to Gaṅgā and other sacred places is prescribed; snāna (ritual bathing) is strongly implied by the context of rivers/tīrthas.