Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19
तप्यमानोपि हि तपः सुचिरं स महातपाः । यदा नाप फलं किंचिच्चुकोप च तदा भृशम्
tapyamānopi hi tapaḥ suciraṃ sa mahātapāḥ | yadā nāpa phalaṃ kiṃciccukopa ca tadā bhṛśam
مع أنّ ذلك الناسك العظيم أجهد نفسه بالزهد والتقشّف زمنًا طويلًا، فلمّا لم ينل ثمرةً البتّة، اشتعل غضبُه اشتعالًا شديدًا.
Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: Durvāsā, gaunt from long austerities, sits amid sacred surroundings; his brows knit, aura heated, indicating anger after perceived fruitlessness.
FAQs
Austerity without inner steadiness can give rise to anger; spiritual practice must be joined with patience and purity.
The episode unfolds in the Kāśī context (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), setting the stage for Kāśī’s unique grace.
None; it describes the psychological risk (krodha) that can arise even in long tapas.