Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13
न यच्छति तथा दानं न च तीर्थं निषेवते । केवलं कुरुते स्नानं लिंगभेदे समाहितः
na yacchati tathā dānaṃ na ca tīrthaṃ niṣevate | kevalaṃ kurute snānaṃ liṃgabhede samāhitaḥ
அவன் விதிப்படி தானம் அளிக்கவும் இல்லை, தீர்த்தத்தை முறையாகச் சேவிக்கவும் இல்லை; லிங்க வேறுபாடுகளில் மனம் பதிந்து வெறும் நீராடுதலையே செய்கிறான்।
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)
Type: ghat
Scene: A bather performing quick snāna while arguing about sectarian emblems; nearby, a poor supplicant is ignored; the tīrtha’s sanctity contrasts with human pettiness.
FAQs
Outer signs and mere bathing are insufficient; dharma is fulfilled through charity, reverent tīrtha practice, and sincere intent.
The teaching appears within the Hāṭakeśvara tīrtha/kṣetra narrative of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
Dāna (charity), tīrtha-niṣevā (reverent resorting to the sacred place), and snāna (ritual bathing) are contrasted—implying all should be properly integrated.