Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36
बालत्वाद्भीषितो भूतैस्तपस्त्यक्ष्यत्यसौ ध्रुवम् । इति निश्चित्य भूतालिं प्रेषयामास वासवः
bālatvādbhīṣito bhūtaistapastyakṣyatyasau dhruvam | iti niścitya bhūtāliṃ preṣayāmāsa vāsavaḥ
“Since he is only a child, surely—terrified by these bhūtas—he will abandon his austerities (tapas).” Having decided thus, Vāsava (Indra) dispatched a host of bhūtas against him.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Indra, anxious about a child-ascetic’s rising tapas, dispatches a swirling troop of bhūtas toward the solitary boy absorbed in austerity, with Kāśī’s sacred ambience in the background.
FAQs
True tapas is tested by fear and obstruction; steadfastness is the measure of spiritual resolve.
The broader setting is Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse itself focuses on a trial of austerity rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the theme is the protection and perseverance of tapas (austerity).