Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 54
तच्छवस्य बहिर्ग्रामा त्क्षिप्तस्य प्रेतकर्मणः । चचार सारमेयोंऽगे भस्मपादो यदृच्छया
tacchavasya bahirgrāmā tkṣiptasya pretakarmaṇaḥ | cacāra sārameyoṃ'ge bhasmapādo yadṛcchayā
Ketika mayatnya dilempar ke luar desa tanpa upacara bagi arwah (pretakarma), seekor anjing kebetulan berkeliaran melintasi tubuhnya—telapak kakinya berlumur abu suci, semata karena takdir kebetulan.
Vāmadeva
Type: śmaśāna/liminal-space (implied)
Scene: A discarded corpse beyond the village boundary; a wandering dog steps across it, paws dusted with ash, leaving bhasma-marks on the body—an eerie yet providential moment.
FAQs
Even unintended contact with a sanctifying substance associated with Śiva (bhasma) is depicted as carrying transformative merit.
No specific location is named; the focus is on the sanctity of bhasma rather than a named pilgrimage site.
The verse notes the absence of preta-karma (funerary rites), highlighting the corpse’s abandonment; no positive rite is prescribed here.