Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23
शालिग्रामशिला नैव यत्र भागवता न हि । त्यजेत्तीर्थं महापुण्यं पुण्यमायतनं त्यजेत्
śāligrāmaśilā naiva yatra bhāgavatā na hi | tyajettīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ puṇyamāyatanaṃ tyajet
जहाँ शालिग्राम-शिला नहीं और भागवत भक्त भी नहीं, वहाँ उस ‘महापुण्य’ कहे जाने वाले तीर्थ को भी छोड़ देना चाहिए; ऐसे पुण्य-आयतन का त्याग करना चाहिए।
Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa context within Māhātmya narration)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim at a crossroads: one shrine displays a Śāligrāma on a tulasī-leaf altar with Bhāgavatas singing; the other is an ornate but empty ‘tīrtha’ without devotees—pilgrim turns away from it.
FAQs
A tīrtha’s sanctity is measured by living devotion and Vaiṣṇava markers (Śāligrāma, Bhāgavatas), not by name alone.
Dvārakā’s Vaiṣṇava sacred culture is implied; the verse also sets general standards for recognizing authentic tīrthas.
Maintaining Śāligrāma-śilā presence/worship and the company of Bhāgavata devotees as signs of a sanctified place.