Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89
स्वयं गृहीत्वा नियमं यस्त्यजेदजितेंद्रियः । तं प्रापय दुराधर्षं बहुभ्रमरदंशके
svayaṃ gṛhītvā niyamaṃ yastyajedajiteṃdriyaḥ | taṃ prāpaya durādharṣaṃ bahubhramaradaṃśake
«مَن أخذ على نفسه نذرًا ثم نبذه—وحواسّه غير مقهورة—فخُذه، ذلك العسير الاحتمال، إلى الموضع الذي تلسع فيه نحلاتٌ كثيرة.»
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Scene: A vow-breaker is driven toward a tormenting grove where swarms of bees sting relentlessly; the figure shields his face, while Yama-dūtas point toward the buzzing mass, symbolizing the ‘many stings’ of consequences from many small lapses.
FAQs
A vow is sacred; abandoning observances due to uncontrolled senses is treated as a serious breach of dharma with painful results.
The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context elevates Kāśī as the sacred setting for dharma and liberation teachings, though this verse itself is ethical rather than topographical.
The implied prescription is steadfast maintenance of one’s niyama/vrata once undertaken.