Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41
यत्र वै धर्मराजोसौ तपश्चक्रे सुदुष्करम् । हास्यभावकटाक्षैश्च गीतनृत्यादिभिस्तथा
yatra vai dharmarājosau tapaścakre suduṣkaram | hāsyabhāvakaṭākṣaiśca gītanṛtyādibhistathā
যেখানে সেই ধর্মরাজ অতি দুঃসাধ্য তপস্যা করছিলেন, সেখানে তারা হাস্যভরা ভঙ্গি, তির্যক দৃষ্টি এবং গান-নৃত্য প্রভৃতি কলাসহ উপস্থিত হল।
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Scene: At the austere hermitage-ground, apsarases approach with smiles, sidelong glances, and performing arts—song and dance—contrasting with the stillness of the ascetic’s tapas.
FAQs
Spiritual practice is tested not only by hardship but by pleasure; mastery is shown by remaining steady amid allurements.
Dharmāraṇya, presented as a potent tapas-sthāna where Dharmarāja undertakes severe austerity.
No explicit prescription; the verse describes the testing of an ascetic through distraction.