Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55
तीर्थे तपस्युपकृतौ सदाचारादिकर्मणि । फलाभिलाषिणीबुद्धिर्न येषां ते जना अमी
tīrthe tapasyupakṛtau sadācārādikarmaṇi | phalābhilāṣiṇībuddhirna yeṣāṃ te janā amī
Mereka yang dalam amalan di tīrtha, dalam tapa dan disiplin, serta dalam kewajipan seperti sadācāra, tidak menaruh hasrat pada buah ganjaran—merekalah insan teladan yang sejati.
Skanda
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical frame; not stated in verse)
Scene: A serene group of pilgrims and ascetics at a riverbank tīrtha, performing simple duties—bathing, japa, and service—without display; a calm, luminous atmosphere suggesting inner detachment.
FAQs
True holiness is desireless dharma—performing tīrtha-acts, tapas, and good conduct without craving results.
Tīrtha in general is praised here as a setting for pure, non-commercial spirituality within the Kāśī-māhātmya context.
A general prescription: perform tīrtha-related acts, austerities, and sadācāra without fruit-seeking intention.