Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46
अग्निहोत्री तपस्वी च क्षणवान्क्रियते यदि । अग्निहोत्रं तपश्चैव सर्वं तद्धनिनो धनम्
agnihotrī tapasvī ca kṣaṇavānkriyate yadi | agnihotraṃ tapaścaiva sarvaṃ taddhanino dhanam
إذا اضطرّ مُقيمُ الأَغْنِيهوترا والزاهدُ إلى الاعتماد على غيره لحظةً من حاجة، فإن أَغْنِيهوتراه وتنسّكه كلَّه، كأنما يصير ثروةَ الغنيّ الذي يعتمد عليه.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative context
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A Vedic Agnihotrin beside a small sacred fire and an ascetic with matted hair stand at a wealthy patron’s doorway; the patron’s overflowing granary contrasts with the ascetic’s begging bowl, conveying the moral tension of dependence.
FAQs
Spiritual practice requires integrity and independence; dependence driven by need can compromise the ownership of one’s merit.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where dharma is explained with practical cautions for householders and renunciants.
A caution regarding Agnihotra and tapas: avoid becoming beholden through need, lest the fruit of rites be treated as belonging to the patron.