वारुणादपि चाग्नेयाद्वायव्यादपि चेंद्रतः । मंत्रस्थानादपि परं ब्राह्मं स्नानमिदं परम् । ब्राह्मस्नानेन यः स्नातः स बाह्याभ्यंतरं शुचिः
vāruṇādapi cāgneyādvāyavyādapi ceṃdrataḥ | maṃtrasthānādapi paraṃ brāhmaṃ snānamidaṃ param | brāhmasnānena yaḥ snātaḥ sa bāhyābhyaṃtaraṃ śuciḥ
Lebih tinggi daripada mandi Varuṇa, lebih tinggi daripada mandi Agni, lebih tinggi daripada mandi Vāyu, dan lebih tinggi pula daripada mandi Indra—bahkan melampaui sekadar ‘tempat mantra’—inilah Mandi Brāhma yang tertinggi. Barangsiapa mandi dengan Brāhma-snāna, ia menjadi suci lahir dan batin.
Skanda (deduced from Dharmāraṇya-khaṇḍa narrative style within Brahmakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Brāhma-snāna (conceptual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A contemplative ascetic at a riverbank performs snāna while a luminous ‘brahmic’ radiance rises from the heart-lotus, surpassing the four elemental deities who stand as witnesses (Varuṇa with noose, Agni with flames, Vāyu with billowing scarf, Indra with vajra).
The highest purification is the Brāhma-bath—purity rooted in Brahman/inner sanctity—surpassing merely external ritual categories.
The verse emphasizes the principle of inner sanctification rather than naming a single tīrtha; it fits Dharmāraṇya’s teaching that true tīrtha is purity of consciousness.
It recommends ‘Brāhma snāna’—a superior purificatory bath understood as mantra-informed, inwardly grounded purification.