Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 141
एकाहारा निराहारा वायुभक्षास्तथापरे । अब्भक्षाः फल भक्षाश्च शीर्णपर्णाशिनस्तथा
ekāhārā nirāhārā vāyubhakṣāstathāpare | abbhakṣāḥ phala bhakṣāśca śīrṇaparṇāśinastathā
Einige nahmen nur eine Mahlzeit am Tag zu sich, andere gar keine; manche lebten vom Hauch der Luft, manche vom Wasser; manche von Früchten, und manche aßen nur verdorrte Blätter.
An unnamed man (describing ascetic disciplines present at the tīrtha)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Ascetics seated in small groups under trees or in a temple courtyard, each practicing a distinct austerity: one-meal, fasting, water-only, fruit-only, leaf-only; calm faces, ash marks, rudrākṣa, begging bowls set aside.
FAQs
Restraint and tapas (austerity) are honored as supports for devotion and spiritual power at sacred places.
The verse glorifies the pilgrimage atmosphere by showing intense tapas practiced there; the site name is given in the larger context.
Forms of fasting and regulated diet (ekāhāra, nirāhāra, phalāhāra, etc.) are described as ascetic observances.