Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 28
सूत उवाच । गतेप्सरसि राजेन्द्र धर्मस्तस्थौ यथाविधि । तपस्तेपे महाघोरं विश्वस्योद्वेगदायकम्
sūta uvāca | gatepsarasi rājendra dharmastasthau yathāvidhi | tapastepe mahāghoraṃ viśvasyodvegadāyakam
Sūta sprach: Als die Apsaras fortgegangen war, o König, blieb Dharma dort, wie es die Vorschrift gebietet, und übte eine überaus schreckliche Askese (tapas), die die ganze Welt in Unruhe versetzte.
Sūta
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇyaka
Type: kshetra
Listener: Rājendra (king; likely the frame listener in the sūta narration)
Scene: Sūta narrates: after the apsaras leaves, Dharma remains in the forest and begins a fierce austerity; the world trembles—winds rise, skies darken, devas grow anxious.
FAQs
Tapas (austerity) undertaken by a dharmic power has cosmic consequences, showing the potency of disciplined spiritual force.
The verse remains within the Dharmāraṇya sacred narrative zone; the emphasis is on Dharma’s tapas rather than a named tirtha.
Tapas performed yathā-vidhi (according to prescribed rule), indicating regulated austerity rather than arbitrary mortification.