Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 82
शतशोऽपि तथा स्नाता न शुद्धा भावदूषिताः । अंतःकरणशुद्धांश्च तान्विभूतिः पवित्रयेत्
śataśo'pi tathā snātā na śuddhā bhāvadūṣitāḥ | aṃtaḥkaraṇaśuddhāṃśca tānvibhūtiḥ pavitrayet
अशा रीतीने शेकडो वेळा स्नान केले तरी ज्यांचे भाव दूषित आहेत ते शुद्ध होत नाहीत. पण ज्यांचे अंतःकरण शुद्ध आहे, अशा जनांना विभूती (पवित्र भस्म) पावन करते.
Skanda (deduced from Dharmāraṇya-khaṇḍa narrative style within Brahmakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Vibhūti (bhasma) as purifier (conceptual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee with calm, luminous face receives vibhūti on forehead and limbs from a Śaiva guru; behind them, a crowd repeatedly bathing appears restless and darkened by smoky hues—symbolizing bhāva-doṣa vs antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi.
FAQs
Without purified intention and mind, repeated ritual bathing does not cleanse; inner purity is decisive.
The focus is doctrinal (inner purification) rather than a named geography; it aligns with Dharmāraṇya’s dharma-teaching frame.
Use of vibhūti (sacred ash) is praised as sanctifying for those possessing antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi.