Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 140
नक्तं दिनं निमज्ज्याप्सु कैवर्ताः किमु पावनाः । शतशोपि तथा स्नाता न शुद्धा भावदूषिता
naktaṃ dinaṃ nimajjyāpsu kaivartāḥ kimu pāvanāḥ | śataśopi tathā snātā na śuddhā bhāvadūṣitā
اگر مچھیرے رات دن پانی میں غوطے لگاتے رہیں تو بھی اس سے پاک نہیں ہوتے، تو دوسروں کا کیا کہنا؟ سو بار بھی غسل کر لیا جائے، مگر جب باطن کی کیفیت آلودہ ہو تو آدمی پاک نہیں ہوتا۔
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (contextual)
Type: river
Scene: Fishermen repeatedly plunge into the river, yet a luminous sage points to the heart, indicating that inner stains remain; the Gaṅgā flows indifferent, reflecting the teaching.
FAQs
External rites like bathing cannot replace inner purity; intention (bhāva) is the real purifier.
The teaching belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dharma-instruction set within Kāśī’s sacred landscape, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.
Snāna is acknowledged, but its efficacy is conditioned on pure intention and conduct.