Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23
शालिग्रामशिला नैव यत्र भागवता न हि । त्यजेत्तीर्थं महापुण्यं पुण्यमायतनं त्यजेत्
śāligrāmaśilā naiva yatra bhāgavatā na hi | tyajettīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ puṇyamāyatanaṃ tyajet
جہاں نہ شالیگرام شِلا ہو اور نہ بھاگوت بھکت، وہاں اُس نام نہاد ‘مہاپُنّیہ’ تیرتھ کو بھی چھوڑ دینا چاہیے؛ اُس دعویدارِ تقدیس آستانے کو ترک کر دینا چاہیے۔
Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa context within Māhātmya narration)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim at a crossroads: one shrine displays a Śāligrāma on a tulasī-leaf altar with Bhāgavatas singing; the other is an ornate but empty ‘tīrtha’ without devotees—pilgrim turns away from it.
FAQs
A tīrtha’s sanctity is measured by living devotion and Vaiṣṇava markers (Śāligrāma, Bhāgavatas), not by name alone.
Dvārakā’s Vaiṣṇava sacred culture is implied; the verse also sets general standards for recognizing authentic tīrthas.
Maintaining Śāligrāma-śilā presence/worship and the company of Bhāgavata devotees as signs of a sanctified place.