Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6
एकदा स हि हेमंते मार्गे मासि तपोधनः । स्नात्वा तत्र महातीर्थे मध्याह्ने विमलोदके
ekadā sa hi hemaṃte mārge māsi tapodhanaḥ | snātvā tatra mahātīrthe madhyāhne vimalodake
Pada suatu ketika di musim dingin, pada bulan Mārga (Mārgaśīrṣa), sang pertapa yang kaya tapa itu mandi di sana, di mahātīrtha, tepat tengah hari, dalam air yang bening suci.
Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Mahātīrtha in Kāśī (unspecified in verse)
Type: ghat
Listener: Agastya (Kumbhayoni)
Scene: Winter midday at a Kāśī tīrtha: clear, cool water; the ascetic Vālmīki steps into the river/ford under pale sun, with ghāṭ steps, distant temples, and pilgrims in the background.
FAQs
Purity of place, time, and intention—especially bathing at a tīrtha—supports spiritual discipline and merit.
A “mahātīrtha” is mentioned without a specific name in this verse; within Kāśī-khaṇḍa it points to the sacred tīrthas of Kāśī’s landscape.
Snāna (ritual bathing) at midday in a tīrtha, especially during the Mārgaśīrṣa/winter period.