Essence Of Skanda Purana

Manasa Tirtha

After leaving Kolhapuri, Sage Agastya and his wife Lopamudra visited Srishaila; it is stated that a glimpse of the Temple ‘Shikhara’ (Minaret) where Bhagavan Mallikarjuna and Devi Bhramaraamba reside is enough guarantee against Punarjanma (rebirth). The Sage described that after Kasi, there were several important Tirthas like Prayaga, Naimisharanya, Kurukshetra, Gangadwar (Haridwar), Avanthi, Ayodhya, Mathura, Dwaraka, Amaravati, Ganda sagar Sangam, Kancheepura, Triambaka, Prabasa Tirtha, Badarikaashrama, Omkara Kshetra, Purushottama Kshetra ( Jagannatha puri),Gokarna, Pushkara, and Gaya which is well known for indebtedness to Pitras.

But the most significant one is the Manasa Tirtha, which stands for Kshama (Tolerance), Satya (Truth), Indriya Nigraha (Control of Body Parts), Daya (Mercy), Daana (Charity), Dama (Mind Control), Santosha (Happiness or Contentment), ‘Brahmacharya Paalana’or Celibacy, Jnaana Tirtha, Dhairya Tirtha and Anthakarana Shuddhi Tirtha. Such Manasa Tirthas represent the essential virtues of humanity and are the bye- products of Mind and Heart. Just as bathing in a Holy River is not mere task of body cleanlinesss devoid of mental purity, visits to Tirthas also are not necessarily as simple as diving and dunking. Indeed the physical hygiene might be the first step to Internal Transparency, but visits to Tirthas by person of cruelty, crookedness, avarice, and such other negative tendencies are of little consequence.At the same time, frequent visits to Tirthas and Snaans in Holy Rivers do pave the ways to the right paths and hence the prescription by the Scriptures till a stage arrives for Manasa Tirtha visits!