Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20
दुःखेन लभ्यते यस्मान्मानुष्यं जन्म भाग्यतः । मानुष्यं जन्म चासाद्य या न धर्मं समाचरेत्
duḥkhena labhyate yasmānmānuṣyaṃ janma bhāgyataḥ | mānuṣyaṃ janma cāsādya yā na dharmaṃ samācaret
«Pois o nascimento humano é alcançado com dificuldade e sofrimento, e por boa fortuna. E aquele que, tendo obtido um nascimento humano, não pratica o dharma…»
Śabara
Scene: A didactic moment: the Śabara speaks as if teaching—gesturing toward the river and the path of dharma; symbolic imagery of a human life as a brief lamp beside flowing water.
FAQs
Human birth is rare and precious; its true purpose is fulfilled through practicing dharma.
Indirectly, the tīrtha context frames the teaching, but the verse itself emphasizes dharma rather than naming the site.
The prescription is general: ‘practice dharma’—a broad umbrella that includes vrata, dāna, worship, and right conduct.