Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17
निर्मला निष्कलंका ये ते मृताः स्वर्गगामिनः । व्रतोपवासनिरताः सत्याचारपरायणाः । अहिंसानिरताः शांतास्ते नराः स्वर्गगामिनः
nirmalā niṣkalaṃkā ye te mṛtāḥ svargagāminaḥ | vratopavāsaniratāḥ satyācāraparāyaṇāḥ | ahiṃsāniratāḥ śāṃtāste narāḥ svargagāminaḥ
जे निर्मळ व निष्कलंक आहेत ते मृत्यूनंतर स्वर्गास जातात। व्रत-उपवासात रत, सत्याचारात दृढ, अहिंसेत तत्पर व शांत—असे नर स्वर्गगामी होतात।
A narrator/teacher voice within the Vastrāpatha Māhātmya (contextual speaker not explicit in the excerpt)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: A king (contextual)
Scene: A procession of pilgrims in simple attire: some fasting, some meditating, some offering water; their faces calm and luminous, symbolizing nirmalatā and śānti; a shrine stands in the background.
FAQs
Purity, truth, non-violence, and disciplined austerity (vrata/upavāsa) are presented as a direct path to auspicious post-mortem destiny.
The verse is part of the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya within Prabhāsa, framing ethical dharma as fitting conduct for that sacred landscape.
Vows (vrata) and fasting (upavāsa) are explicitly praised as disciplines supporting dharmic life.