मूर्तं भयानकमिव सर्वप्राणिभयप्रदम् । हृदयाकंपनं दृष्ट्वा तं प्रेतं वृद्धतापसः । अतिदीनाननं कस्त्वमिति धैर्येण पृष्टवान्
mūrtaṃ bhayānakamiva sarvaprāṇibhayapradam | hṛdayākaṃpanaṃ dṛṣṭvā taṃ pretaṃ vṛddhatāpasaḥ | atidīnānanaṃ kastvamiti dhairyeṇa pṛṣṭavān
عند رؤية ذلك البريتا - وكأنه الخوف متجسداً، باعث الرعب في كل الكائنات، ومزلزل القلوب - سأل الناسك العجوز بشجاعة ثابتة: "يا صاحب الوجه الأكثر بؤساً، من أنت؟"
Skanda (narrating); within the story an aged ascetic speaks to the preta
True tapas is courage joined with compassion—meeting terror with steady inquiry that can lead to liberation.
Kāśī is the sacred stage where such transformative encounters and teachings unfold in the Skanda Purāṇa.
None explicitly; the verse introduces a moral dialogue rather than a rite.