Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
अहंकारेण संयुक्ताः परस्परजिगीषवः । तपसा विप्रयुक्ताश्च भोगसक्ता दिवानिशम्
ahaṃkāreṇa saṃyuktāḥ parasparajigīṣavaḥ | tapasā viprayuktāśca bhogasaktā divāniśam
„Vom Ich-Dünkel gebunden, einander zu übertrumpfen begehrend, der Askese entfremdet und Tag und Nacht an Genüsse geheftet—solche Menschen werden von Rivalität getrieben, nicht vom Dharma.“
Indra (Purandara) (deduced from immediate context where he is addressed as Purandara in v.24)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two factions of ritualists compete in a sacrificial arena, measuring status; behind them, symbols of luxury and indulgence; a neglected ascetic fire (tapas) smolders faintly.
FAQs
Ego and competitive hostility corrode tapas; without restraint, even a holy setting cannot uplift the mind.
This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the precise tīrtha name is not stated in this single verse.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it gives a moral diagnosis—avoid ego, rivalry, and pleasure-seeking that weaken austerity.