Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21
वक्ष्यामि लक्षणं तस्य ज्ञास्यथ तं मुनिम् । प्रतोल्या राजमार्गे तु निशि भूमौ शवं जनैः
vakṣyāmi lakṣaṇaṃ tasya jñāsyatha taṃ munim | pratolyā rājamārge tu niśi bhūmau śavaṃ janaiḥ
«Я скажу вам его отличительные признаки, по которым вы узнаете того муни. Ночью, на царской дороге у городских ворот, пусть люди положат на землю труп.»
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) — gate/road liminal spot
Type: ghat
Scene: Night at a Kāśī city-gate on the royal road: watchers hide nearby as a corpse lies on the ground. The scene is tense yet sacred, lit by oil lamps and moonlight, evoking Bhairava-like austerity.
FAQs
True spiritual power is recognized by inner detachment, not by outward display; the narrative sets up a test revealing the sage’s nature.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), presented as the stage where extraordinary dharma-events and saintly encounters unfold.
A practical instruction is given—placing a corpse on the road at night—as part of a narrative test, not as a general rite for devotees.