Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19
इन्द्रियाश्वान्सन्नियम्य सततं सुखमेधते । नरके पात्यते प्राणैस्तैरेवोत्पथगामिभिः
indriyāśvānsanniyamya satataṃ sukhamedhate | narake pātyate prāṇaistairevotpathagāmibhiḥ
Wer die pferdegleichen Sinne unablässig zügelt, dessen Glück wächst beständig. Doch durch eben diese Lebenskräfte—wenn sie auf Irrwege geraten—wird man in die Hölle gestürzt.
Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A yogin holds reins attached to five horse-like senses pulling toward tempting side-roads; a luminous straight path leads to a tīrtha-ghāṭa, while a dark chasm labeled ‘naraka’ opens beside the wrong path.
FAQs
The same inner powers that grant peace when disciplined become causes of downfall when they chase wrongful desires.
No named tīrtha is mentioned; the verse teaches a universal ethical principle supporting tīrtha/vrata observance.
A sustained practice of sense-restraint (like reining horses) is prescribed as the path to well-being and dharmic safety.