Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51
न गर्तेषु ससत्वेषु न तिष्ठन्न व्रजन्नपि । गोविप्रसूर्यवाय्वग्नि चंद्रर्क्षांबु गुरूनपि
na garteṣu sasatveṣu na tiṣṭhanna vrajannapi | goviprasūryavāyvagni caṃdrarkṣāṃbu gurūnapi
ज्या गर्तांत सजीव आहेत तिथे उभे राहून किंवा चालत चालत मल-मूत्रत्याग करू नये। तसेच गाय, ब्राह्मण, सूर्य, वायू, अग्नी, चंद्र, नक्षत्र, जल आणि गुरुजन यांच्या समोर तोंड करूनही करू नये।
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (purity discipline within sacred mandala)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)
Scene: A pilgrim pauses outside the sacred precinct, looking for a proper secluded spot; in the background are cows, a brāhmaṇa, a small sacred fire, the river, and the sun/moon motifs—showing the sense of being watched by cosmic witnesses; a pit with small creatures is carefully avoided.
FAQs
Purity is inseparable from reverence: avoid harming small beings and avoid disrespecting sacred persons and cosmic powers through impure acts.
The broader Kāśī setting is implied; the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frames such conduct as part of Kāśī’s sacred discipline.
Prohibitions regarding where and in whose direction one may discharge waste, emphasizing non-harm and reverence.