Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 23
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Meets Lord Śiva: Devotee as Living Tīrtha and the Lord’s Māyā
न ह्यम्मयानि तीर्थानि न देवाश्चेतनोज्झिता: । ते पुनन्त्युरुकालेन यूयं दर्शनमात्रत: ॥ २३ ॥
na hy am-mayāni tīrthāni na devāś cetanojjhitāḥ te punanty uru-kālena yūyaṁ darśana-mātrataḥ
仅仅一片水域并不就成了圣地，诸天的无生命塑像也并非真正可礼拜的神明。由于外在之眼不能体会圣河与诸神的高妙本质，它们需经久方能净化；而如你们这般的奉爱者，只要一见，便立刻净化众人。
FAQs
This verse says that holy places and even deity forms purify gradually, but a saintly devotee can purify a person immediately simply by darśana (being seen).
In Canto 12, Mārkaṇḍeya offers reverence to Nara-Nārāyaṇa and emphasizes that the Lord’s devotees and sages are the highest purifiers, surpassing ordinary notions of tīrtha as only water or divinity as merely a statue.
Seek genuine association—hear from, serve, and regularly meet sincere devotees—because uplifting company reforms consciousness faster than occasional external rituals alone.