Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 162
अथैकप्रवरो देशो गौडो मधुपुरं पुरम् । ततस्ते ब्राह्मणाः प्रोचुर्यस्य नो ज्ञायते कुलम् । तस्य शुद्धिः प्रदातव्या धटद्वारेण केवला
athaikapravaro deśo gauḍo madhupuraṃ puram | tataste brāhmaṇāḥ procuryasya no jñāyate kulam | tasya śuddhiḥ pradātavyā dhaṭadvāreṇa kevalā
Kemudian (dia berkata): “Wilayahku ialah Gauḍa, kotanya Madhupura, dan aku hanya mempunyai satu pravara.” Maka para Brāhmaṇa pun menyatakan: “Bagi orang yang tidak diketahui keturunannya, penyucian hendaklah diberikan semata-mata melalui upacara yang disebut ‘melalui pintu dhaṭa’.”
Brāhmaṇas (authoritative decision), following the pilgrim’s statement
Type: kshetra
Scene: The petitioner states his origin—Gauḍa and Madhupura—and ‘one pravara’; the brāhmaṇas, after deliberation, pronounce a specific purification: ‘dhaṭa-dvāra’ rite for one of unknown lineage.
FAQs
Even when social identity is uncertain, dharma provides a regulated, compassionate mechanism to restore purity and inclusion.
The passage situates the speaker’s origin as Gauḍa and Madhupura; the tīrtha-site of the narrative is implied by the Tīrthamāhātmya setting, though not named in this verse.
A special śuddhi procedure is prescribed for one whose kula is unknown: purification ‘through the dhaṭadvāra’ (a designated ritual gateway/structure).