Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6
तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा नन्दामुद्दिश्य भारत । ददाति दानं विप्रेभ्यः सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत्
tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā nandāmuddiśya bhārata | dadāti dānaṃ viprebhyaḥ so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet
Wahai Bhārata, siapa pun yang mandi di tīrtha itu dan, dengan niat dipersembahkan kepada Dewi Nandā, memberi sedekah kepada para brāhmaṇa, ia akan memperoleh pahala yajña Aśvamedha.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Nandā-hrada
Type: kund
Listener: Bhārata
Scene: A pilgrim emerges from the sacred lake, hands joined in saṅkalpa to Devī Nandā, then offers gifts to seated brāhmaṇas under riverbank trees; the atmosphere is solemn and luminous, suggesting Aśvamedha-level merit without the grand ritual apparatus.
FAQs
Simple tīrtha-practice—bathing and charity offered with devotion—can equal the merit of grand Vedic rites when done in a sanctified place.
Nandā-hrada tīrtha (the sacred lake associated with Goddess Nandā).
Snāna at the tīrtha, followed by dāna to brāhmaṇas, explicitly dedicated (uddiśya) to Nandā Devī.