Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8
तत्र या कुरुते स्नानं तृतीयायां समाहिता । नारी मार्गसिते पक्षे सा सौभाग्यवती भवेत् । अथ दौर्भाग्यसंपन्ना काणा वृद्धाऽथ वामना । अभीष्टा जायते सा च तत्प्रभावाद्द्विजोत्तमाः
tatra yā kurute snānaṃ tṛtīyāyāṃ samāhitā | nārī mārgasite pakṣe sā saubhāgyavatī bhavet | atha daurbhāgyasaṃpannā kāṇā vṛddhā'tha vāmanā | abhīṣṭā jāyate sā ca tatprabhāvāddvijottamāḥ
Wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwija! Seorang wanita yang dengan hati terpusat mandi di sana pada hari ketiga (tṛtīyā) dalam paruh terang bulan Mārgaśīrṣa akan menjadi bertuah, diberkahi kemakmuran rumah tangga dan duniawi. Walaupun ditimpa malang—buta sebelah mata, tua, atau kerdil—dengan kuasa tirtha suci itu, dia menjadi seperti yang dihajati.
Sūta
Tirtha: Kātyāyanī/Śāṇḍilyā-associated kuṇḍa-tīrtha (implied)
Type: kund
Listener: Dvijottamāḥ (addressed)
Scene: At dawn on śukla tṛtīyā of Mārgaśīrṣa, women bathe with concentrated minds in a stepped pond; lamps and offerings line the ghats; the scene subtly shows restoration of beauty/fortune and removal of bodily afflictions as symbolic radiance.
FAQs
A tīrtha is depicted as compassionate power: sincere observance and faith can transform misfortune into auspiciousness.
The tīrtha(s) described in Adhyāya 130—contextually linked with Kātyāyanī and Śāṇḍilyā—where this prescribed snāna is performed.
A focused snāna (ritual bath) on Mārgaśīrṣa month, bright fortnight, tṛtīyā (third tithi), aimed at saubhāgya and well-being.