Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26
शवं दृष्ट्वा च तैर्न्यस्तं संवर्तो वै न्यवर्तत । क्षुत्परीतोऽपि तं ज्ञात्वा ययुस्तमनु शीघ्रगम्
śavaṃ dṛṣṭvā ca tairnyastaṃ saṃvarto vai nyavartata | kṣutparīto'pi taṃ jñātvā yayustamanu śīghragam
Als Saṃvarta den von ihnen dort niedergelegten Leichnam sah, kehrte er wahrlich um. Obgleich vom Hunger gequält, erkannten sie ihn und eilten ihm nach, während er schnellen Schrittes dahinging.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: On a road near Kāśī, the seekers place a corpse as a deliberate obstacle; Saṃvarta, seeing it, abruptly turns back. The seekers—though hungry and strained—recognize him and rush after his swift stride.
FAQs
Restraint and purity of conduct remain firm even under bodily pressure (like hunger)—a mark of spiritual attainment.
Kāśī/Vārāṇasī continues as the sanctified environment for this test and encounter.
No rite; it narrates an observational test to confirm identity.