Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43
कृताहारो महापापैर्निर्मुक्तो जायते ध्रुवम् । हरिमुद्दिश्य मासेषु चतुर्षु च न संशयः
kṛtāhāro mahāpāpairnirmukto jāyate dhruvam | harimuddiśya māseṣu caturṣu ca na saṃśayaḥ
من التزم غذاءً منضبطًا صار متحرّرًا يقينًا من كبائر الآثام—لا ريب—إذا أُقيمت هذه الممارسة طوال الأشهر الأربعة قاصدًا هاري (Hari) ربًّا ومقصودًا.
Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa māhātmya-style instruction)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee makes a formal saṅkalpa before a Viṣṇu image at the start of the four months, holding water in the palm; calendar-like symbols of four months appear; the aura suggests great sins dissolving.
FAQs
Austerity gains its full purifying force when dedicated to Hari; intention (uddeśa) and discipline together destroy grave sin.
The verse stresses the vow’s devotional orientation rather than a named pilgrimage site.
Kṛtāhāra (regulated diet) maintained across the four months, explicitly dedicated to Hari (Viṣṇu).