Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66
हस्तावुत्तानतः कृत्वा दिवसं मारुताशनः । रात्रौ जले स्थितो व्युष्टः प्राजापत्येन तत्समम्
hastāvuttānataḥ kṛtvā divasaṃ mārutāśanaḥ | rātrau jale sthito vyuṣṭaḥ prājāpatyena tatsamam
হাত প্রসারিত রেখে, দিনভর বায়ুভক্ষণে থাকা, আর রাত্রিতে জলে দাঁড়িয়ে প্রভাত পর্যন্ত জাগরণ—একে প্রাজাপত্য প্রায়শ্চিত্তের সমান বলা হয়েছে।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse, typically Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī
Type: ghat
Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (general)
Scene: At sunset on a Kāśī ghat, an ascetic stands waist-deep in the river through the night, hands raised; by day he stands on the steps with arms outstretched, living on air, while lamps and stars reflect on the water.
FAQs
Dharma recognizes intense bodily restraint as a means to burn impurities and renew one’s commitment to righteous conduct.
The broader sacred frame is Kāśī; this verse focuses on expiation practice rather than a named tirtha.
Daytime vāyubhakṣa with hands held outstretched, and spending the night standing in water—declared equivalent to Prājāpatya.