Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 140
नक्तं दिनं निमज्ज्याप्सु कैवर्ताः किमु पावनाः । शतशोपि तथा स्नाता न शुद्धा भावदूषिता
naktaṃ dinaṃ nimajjyāpsu kaivartāḥ kimu pāvanāḥ | śataśopi tathā snātā na śuddhā bhāvadūṣitā
രാത്രിയും പകലും വെള്ളത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയാലും കൈവർത്തർ പാവനരാകുന്നില്ലെങ്കിൽ, മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ കാര്യമെന്ത്? അന്തർഭാവം മലിനമായാൽ നൂറുതവണ കുളിച്ചാലും ശുദ്ധിയില്ല।
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (contextual)
Type: river
Scene: Fishermen repeatedly plunge into the river, yet a luminous sage points to the heart, indicating that inner stains remain; the Gaṅgā flows indifferent, reflecting the teaching.
FAQs
External rites like bathing cannot replace inner purity; intention (bhāva) is the real purifier.
The teaching belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dharma-instruction set within Kāśī’s sacred landscape, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.
Snāna is acknowledged, but its efficacy is conditioned on pure intention and conduct.