Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68
कंठगाभिर्नृपः शुद्ध्येत्तालुगाभिस्तथोरुजः । स्त्रीशूद्रावास्य संस्पर्शमात्रेणापि विशुद्ध्यतः
kaṃṭhagābhirnṛpaḥ śuddhyettālugābhistathorujaḥ | strīśūdrāvāsya saṃsparśamātreṇāpi viśuddhyataḥ
王は水を喉まで含むことで清められ、腿・鼠径に患いある者は水を口蓋まで届かせて清められる。女とシュードラは、口に触れるだけという最小のアーチャマナによってさえ清められる。
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly as Skanda teaching Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (ghāṭa context)
Type: ghat
Scene: A pilgrim-teacher on a Gaṅgā ghāṭa instructs different devotees—king, infirm person, woman, and śūdra—on graded ācamana, with water vessels and the river in the background.
FAQs
Purificatory rites are graded by capacity and circumstance, aiming at accessibility while preserving ritual order.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse gives general ācamana standards within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa.
Different degrees of ācamana: throat-level for a king, palate-level for certain ailments, and minimal mouth-touch for women and śūdras.