Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
महापापान्विता रौद्रास्त्वपि ये स्युः सुनिष्ठुराः । तेऽपि तीर्थैः प्रपूयंते किं पुनर्धर्मसंस्थिताः
mahāpāpānvitā raudrāstvapi ye syuḥ suniṣṭhurāḥ | te'pi tīrthaiḥ prapūyaṃte kiṃ punardharmasaṃsthitāḥ
جو لوگ بڑے گناہوں سے لدے ہوئے، سخت گیر اور نہایت سنگ دل ہوں—وہ بھی تیرتھوں سے پاک ہو جاتے ہیں۔ پھر جو دھرم میں قائم ہوں، ان کی پاکیزگی کا کیا کہنا!
Narrative voice (contextually Nārada in this adhyāya’s dialogue framework)
Tirtha: Tīrtha (generic)
Type: tirtha
Scene: A contrast scene: dark, fierce sinners approach a luminous tīrtha; as they bathe, their harshness dissolves, faces soften, and light surrounds them—while dharmic pilgrims stand serene nearby.
FAQs
Tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage and contact with sacred places) has extraordinary purificatory power; those grounded in dharma benefit even more.
No single site is named in this verse; it praises the general mahātmya (greatness) of tīrthas as a class.
An implied prescription: approaching/using tīrthas for purification (commonly via snāna, darśana, and worship), though no specific rite is named here.