Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
कृताश्च शपथास्तत्र स्नात्वा भागीरथीजले । अदुष्टचेतसा तेन दत्तं तत्पुस्तकं हृतम्
kṛtāśca śapathāstatra snātvā bhāgīrathījale | aduṣṭacetasā tena dattaṃ tatpustakaṃ hṛtam
Di sana, setelah mandi di air suci Bhāgīrathī, mereka pun mengangkat sumpah. Dan kerana pada pandangan mereka hatinya tidak dicurigai, kitab yang dicuri itu diserahkannya kembali seolah-olah diberikan dengan benar.
Sūta (continuing narration)
Tirtha: Bhāgīrathī-snānā (Gaṅgā)
Type: ghat
Scene: On a riverbank, companions perform snāna; hands raised in oath. The accused appears serene and ‘unsuspected’, while the manuscript is produced and handed over as if legitimately given.
FAQs
Sacred acts like Gaṅgā-snān do not sanctify deceit; false oaths and wrongful appropriation remain potent causes of karmic downfall.
Bhāgīrathī-jala—i.e., the Gaṅgā river as a tīrtha—within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context.
Bathing (snāna) in the Bhāgīrathī and the taking of oaths (śapatha)—with the implied prescription that such oaths must be truthful.