Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26
सूत उवाच । चंडालत्वे तया विप्रा वर्तंत्या भ्रममाणया । देवतायतने दृष्टा गौरी हेममयी शुभा
sūta uvāca | caṃḍālatve tayā viprā vartaṃtyā bhramamāṇayā | devatāyatane dṛṣṭā gaurī hemamayī śubhā
Sūta berkata: “Ketika dia hidup sebagai seorang wanita caṇḍāla, mengembara ke sana sini, wahai para Brahmana, dia melihat di sebuah kuil dewa, Gaurī yang mulia lagi membawa berkat, diperbuat daripada emas.”
Sūta
Type: temple
Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ
Scene: A wandering outcaste woman pauses at a small shrine; inside stands an auspicious golden Gaurī image, radiant and serene. The woman’s gaze mixes awe and desire, foreshadowing theft.
FAQs
Even a fallen condition can become a turning point when one encounters the deity; sacred space awakens karmic consequences and transformation.
The verse points to a devatāyatana (shrine) within the adhyāya’s sacred landscape; the detailed tīrtha portrayal comes later (the pond and its holiness).
No explicit rite is stated; the focus is the temple vision of Gaurī.