Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3
पश्चिमे वालखिल्यैश्च जपस्नानपरायणैः । तत्राश्चर्यमभूद्यद्वै पूर्वं ब्राह्मण सत्तमाः । आश्रमे चतुरास्यस्य तद्वो वक्ष्यामि सांप्रतम्
paścime vālakhilyaiśca japasnānaparāyaṇaiḥ | tatrāścaryamabhūdyadvai pūrvaṃ brāhmaṇa sattamāḥ | āśrame caturāsyasya tadvo vakṣyāmi sāṃpratam
Und im westlichen Teil, bei den Vālakhilyas, die sich dem Japa und den rituellen Bädern hingaben, geschah einst ein Wunder, o Bester der Brāhmaṇas, in der Einsiedelei des Viergesichtigen (Caturāsya, Brahmā). Das will ich euch jetzt berichten.
Sūta
Tirtha: Caturāsya-āśrama tīrtha (Brahmā’s hermitage) in the western region
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇas / sages (audience)
Scene: A western sacred grove with a serene hermitage of four-faced Brahmā; Vālakhilya sages perform japa beside a waterbody, preparing the audience for an impending marvel.
FAQs
Consistent disciplines like japa and snāna, practiced by vow-keeping sages, are portrayed as catalysts for divine or wondrous outcomes.
The western sector of the same tīrtha-region, especially Caturāsya (Brahmā)’s āśrama, is highlighted.
Japa (mantra repetition) and snāna (ritual bathing) are named as the Vālakhilyas’ primary practices.