Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 162
अथैकप्रवरो देशो गौडो मधुपुरं पुरम् । ततस्ते ब्राह्मणाः प्रोचुर्यस्य नो ज्ञायते कुलम् । तस्य शुद्धिः प्रदातव्या धटद्वारेण केवला
athaikapravaro deśo gauḍo madhupuraṃ puram | tataste brāhmaṇāḥ procuryasya no jñāyate kulam | tasya śuddhiḥ pradātavyā dhaṭadvāreṇa kevalā
பின்னர் அவன் கூறினான்—“என் தேசம் கௌடம்; நகரம் மதுபுரம்; எனக்கு ஒரே பிரவரம்.” அப்போது பிராமணர்கள் சொன்னார்கள்—“குலம் அறியப்படாதவனுக்கு சுத்தி ‘தட-த்வாரம்’ என்னும் விதியினாலேயே அளிக்கப்பட வேண்டும்.”
Brāhmaṇas (authoritative decision), following the pilgrim’s statement
Type: kshetra
Scene: The petitioner states his origin—Gauḍa and Madhupura—and ‘one pravara’; the brāhmaṇas, after deliberation, pronounce a specific purification: ‘dhaṭa-dvāra’ rite for one of unknown lineage.
FAQs
Even when social identity is uncertain, dharma provides a regulated, compassionate mechanism to restore purity and inclusion.
The passage situates the speaker’s origin as Gauḍa and Madhupura; the tīrtha-site of the narrative is implied by the Tīrthamāhātmya setting, though not named in this verse.
A special śuddhi procedure is prescribed for one whose kula is unknown: purification ‘through the dhaṭadvāra’ (a designated ritual gateway/structure).
Read Skanda Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.