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
Mit ausgestreckten Händen, am Tage nur von Luft lebend und die Nacht im Wasser stehend bis zur Morgendämmerung—dies gilt als dem Prājāpatya gleich.
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.