Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22
अविज्ञातं स्थापनीयं स्थेयं तदविदूरतः । यस्तां भूमिमुपागम्य अकस्माद्विनिर्वतते
avijñātaṃ sthāpanīyaṃ stheyaṃ tadavidūrataḥ | yastāṃ bhūmimupāgamya akasmādvinirvatate
اسے وہاں اس طرح رکھا جائے کہ کسی کو خبر نہ ہو، اور تم اس سے زیادہ دور نہ کھڑے رہو۔ جو شخص اس جگہ آ کر اچانک پلٹ جائے—
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) — gate/road liminal spot
Type: kshetra
Scene: The corpse is placed discreetly; observers stand at a distance in the shadows. A lone ascetic approaches the spot and—at the crucial moment—either turns back suddenly or proceeds, creating a dramatic pause.
FAQs
The text highlights discernment: saintliness is inferred from conduct in challenging circumstances.
Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, where even ordinary streets become settings for dharmic revelations.
No devotional rite is prescribed; it is a narrative instruction to observe the sage’s reaction.