Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 60
तीर्थस्नानैस्तपोभिर्वा दुष्टात्मा नैव शुध्यति । स्वेदितः क्षालितस्तीर्थे किं शुद्धिमधिगच्छति
tīrthasnānaistapobhirvā duṣṭātmā naiva śudhyati | sveditaḥ kṣālitastīrthe kiṃ śuddhimadhigacchati
Nem por banhos nos tīrthas nem por austeridades se purifica quem tem mente perversa. Se apenas sua e se lava num tīrtha, que pureza verdadeira alcança, de fato?
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: tīrtha (generic)
Type: ghat
Scene: At a river-ford, a harsh-faced man bathes repeatedly while arguing/cheating nearby; beside him a humble pilgrim performs snāna with prayer and restraint—showing the contrast between washing and purification.
FAQs
Ritual bathing and austerity must be joined with moral and inner transformation; otherwise they remain superficial.
No single tīrtha is named; the verse speaks generally about tīrtha-bathing.
Tīrtha-snāna and tapas are mentioned, but their efficacy is denied when the inner self is corrupt.