एतेषामपि तीर्थानां चतुर्णामपि सत्तम । पंचमं मणिकर्ण्याख्यं मनावेयवशुद्धिदम्
eteṣāmapi tīrthānāṃ caturṇāmapi sattama | paṃcamaṃ maṇikarṇyākhyaṃ manāveyavaśuddhidam
Wahai yang terbaik antara orang berbudi, bahkan dalam empat tīrtha ini pun ada yang kelima bernama Maṇikarṇī (Maṇikarṇikā), yang mengurniakan penyucian hingga ke sedalam-dalamnya—menjernihkan jiwa dan jasad.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context, typically Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Maṇikarṇī / Maṇikarṇikā
Type: ghat
Listener: Agastya
Scene: Five tīrtha emblems arranged like petals; the fifth (Maṇikarṇikā) shines brightest; a pilgrim’s mind depicted as a dark cloud clearing into a clear sky as he steps into the water; subtle aura around the head and heart indicating manas-śuddhi.
Sacred geography is graded: Maṇikarṇikā is proclaimed a culminating tīrtha whose contact purifies the whole person—inner mind and outer conduct.
Maṇikarṇikā (also styled Maṇikarṇī), elevated as a ‘fifth’ preeminent tīrtha.
No explicit rite is stated; the implied practice is tīrtha-sevā—approach, bathing, and reverent engagement that yields śuddhi (purification).