Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55
शुशोच हा कष्टमिति पापोहमिति चासकृत् । तत्तस्य चांतरं दृष्ट्वाऽहृष्यत्यव्रतश्चिरात्
śuśoca hā kaṣṭamiti pāpohamiti cāsakṛt | tattasya cāṃtaraṃ dṛṣṭvā'hṛṣyatyavrataścirāt
He lamented again and again, crying, “Alas, what misery! I am sinful!” Seeing that breach in his heart, the undisciplined one—after long waiting—rejoiced.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Scene: A man weeps, hands raised in lament; behind him a shadowy figure—symbol of the ‘avratī’—smiles subtly, sensing an opening in the grieving heart.
FAQs
Excessive lamentation creates an inner breach; dharma requires mental guardianship, especially when tested by suffering.
No tīrtha is referenced; the verse focuses on ethical-psychological struggle.
Implicitly, the value of vrata (disciplined vows) is contrasted with being avrata, but no specific rite is prescribed.