Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 175
अभर्तृकाया नार्याश्च न स्वर्गो मोक्ष एव च । यथैव वृद्धकन्यायाः सरस्वत्यास्तटे शुभे
abhartṛkāyā nāryāśca na svargo mokṣa eva ca | yathaiva vṛddhakanyāyāḥ sarasvatyāstaṭe śubhe
Para a mulher sem marido, não se fala nem de céu nem mesmo de libertação (moksha), tal como a donzela já idosa na margem auspiciosa do Sarasvatī.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Sarasvatī-taṭa (exemplum)
Type: ghat
Listener: null
Scene: A solitary elderly maiden stands on a luminous riverbank of Sarasvatī, with ascetic trees and a quiet current; the mood is admonitory and contemplative, foreshadowing a turn toward a Śaiva solution at a nearby tīrtha.
FAQs
It stresses the Purāṇic ideal of dharma through the institution of marriage, using an illustrative story-example tied to a sacred setting.
The narrative references the auspicious bank of the Sarasvatī, framing the example within sacred geography.
No explicit ritual is given; it is a dharma-oriented statement setting up the need for a remedy through a sacred vow or divine choice.