Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33
आधिपत्यमदमोहितं हितं शंसितं स्पृशति नो हरेर्हितम् । दुर्जनविहिततीर्थमज्जनैः शुद्धधीरिव विरुद्धमानसम्
ādhipatyamadamohitaṃ hitaṃ śaṃsitaṃ spṛśati no harerhitam | durjanavihitatīrthamajjanaiḥ śuddhadhīriva viruddhamānasam
Nasihat yang baik, walau disampaikan seindah mana pun, tidak menyentuh orang yang mabuk oleh keangkuhan kekuasaan; sebagaimana dharma yang dicintai dan membawa kebaikan bagi Hari pun tidak dapat ditangkapnya. Seperti orang yang berakal suci tetapi hatinya menjadi bertentangan kerana mandi di tīrtha palsu rekaan orang jahat, demikianlah batinnya menjadi songsang.
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues, commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (implied standard of authentic tīrtha) vs ‘duṛjana-vihita-tīrtha’ (counterfeit)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sages/pilgrim audience
Scene: An allegorical scene: a proud ruler ignores a sage’s counsel; nearby, a deceptive ‘tīrtha’ is shown—murky waters with a wicked officiant—contrasted with a luminous true ghāṭa where sincere pilgrims bathe with folded hands.
FAQs
Pride blocks receptivity to dharmic counsel; discernment is essential—outer acts (even ‘pilgrimage’) without purity can mislead.
No single named site; rather, it warns against ‘false tīrthas’ and implies the need to seek authentic sacred geography as taught in Kāśī-khaṇḍa.
It references tīrtha-majjana (bathing at a pilgrimage place) to stress that ritual must be paired with right intent and right place.