Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 15
तेन सर्वेषु तीर्थेषु तर्पिता नात्र संशयः । न चैतद्धृदि मंतव्यं क्षारमेतज्जलं हि यत्
tena sarveṣu tīrtheṣu tarpitā nātra saṃśayaḥ | na caitaddhṛdi maṃtavyaṃ kṣārametajjalaṃ hi yat
ആ കര്മം കൊണ്ടു അവർ സർവ്വ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും തർപ്പിതരായതുപോലെ തൃപ്തരാകുന്നു—ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല. ‘ഇത് ഉപ്പുവെള്ളമാണ്’ എന്ന ചിന്ത ഹൃദയത്തിൽ വരുത്തരുത്.
Devas (continuing the praise of the tīrtha)
Tirtha: Mahī-tīrtha (as indicated by surrounding verses)
Type: sangam
Scene: Pilgrims at a coastal/estuarine tīrtha offer tarpaṇa with cupped hands; a teacher gestures to calm doubts as the water appears brackish; subtle divine presence indicates ‘all tīrthas’ gathered invisibly.
FAQs
Do not reduce sacred acts to material doubts; the tīrtha’s sanctity transcends the water’s taste.
The Mahī–Sāgara Saṅgama, implicitly identified by the mention of salty water.
An instruction of attitude (bhāva): do not doubt the ritual efficacy due to the water being saline.