Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43
कृताहारो महापापैर्निर्मुक्तो जायते ध्रुवम् । हरिमुद्दिश्य मासेषु चतुर्षु च न संशयः
kṛtāhāro mahāpāpairnirmukto jāyate dhruvam | harimuddiśya māseṣu caturṣu ca na saṃśayaḥ
Wer eine geregelte Ernährung auf sich nimmt, wird gewiss von großen Sünden befreit — ohne Zweifel — wenn die Übung während der vier Monate mit Hari als dem ersehnten Herrn vollzogen wird.
Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa māhātmya-style instruction)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee makes a formal saṅkalpa before a Viṣṇu image at the start of the four months, holding water in the palm; calendar-like symbols of four months appear; the aura suggests great sins dissolving.
FAQs
Austerity gains its full purifying force when dedicated to Hari; intention (uddeśa) and discipline together destroy grave sin.
The verse stresses the vow’s devotional orientation rather than a named pilgrimage site.
Kṛtāhāra (regulated diet) maintained across the four months, explicitly dedicated to Hari (Viṣṇu).