Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18
सुसूक्ष्मत्वादनिर्देश्यः शुक्लतीर्थं तथा नृप । मन्दप्रज्ञत्वमापन्ने महामोहसमन्वितः
susūkṣmatvādanirdeśyaḥ śuklatīrthaṃ tathā nṛpa | mandaprajñatvamāpanne mahāmohasamanvitaḥ
اے راجا، نہایت لطیف ہونے کے سبب شُکلتیرتھ کی نشان دہی دشوار ہے؛ جو کند فہمی میں گر پڑا ہو اور عظیم فریبِ نفس میں ڈوبا ہو، وہ اسے نہیں پا سکتا۔
Narrator (contextual; addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as nṛpa)
Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha
Type: ghat
Listener: King (nṛpa); also framed toward Pārtha/Dharmaputra across the passage
Scene: A rishi explains to a king that the tīrtha cannot be ‘pointed out’ like a monument; around them, ordinary travelers pass by unaware, symbolizing manda-prajñā; the riverbank holds a faint, almost imperceptible white radiance.
FAQs
Sacredness can be subtle; delusion and dull intellect prevent one from recognizing holy power and acting accordingly.
Śuklatīrtha, described as ‘anirdeśya’—not easily indicated or recognized.
None directly; it implies cultivating clarity (viveka) to properly approach a tīrtha.