Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2
यत्रैकस्मिन्नपि स्नाने कृते पार्थिवसत्तम । सर्वेषां लभ्यते पुण्यं तीर्थानां स्नानसंभवम् । माघमासे त्रयोदश्यां शुक्लपक्ष उपस्थिते
yatraikasminnapi snāne kṛte pārthivasattama | sarveṣāṃ labhyate puṇyaṃ tīrthānāṃ snānasaṃbhavam | māghamāse trayodaśyāṃ śuklapakṣa upasthite
“Nesse lugar, ó melhor dos reis, mesmo com um único banho todos alcançam o mérito que nasce do banho em muitos tīrthas—especialmente quando, no mês de Māgha, chega o décimo terceiro dia da quinzena clara.”
Viśvāmitra (continuing address to the king, implied by vocative)
Type: ghat
Listener: pārthiva-sattama (a king)
Scene: Pilgrims at a sacred ford at dawn in Māgha, bathing with folded hands; priests on the bank recite mantras; the sky suggests bright fortnight auspiciousness.
FAQs
A single, faith-filled bath at a highly praised tīrtha can equal the merit of many pilgrimages, especially on auspicious calendrical days.
Bālamaṇḍana Tīrtha (the ‘place where a single bath’ yields immense merit) in Nāgarakhaṇḍa.
Snāna (ritual bath), particularly in Māgha month on Śukla Trayodaśī.