Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12
नियतो नियताहारः सर्वभूतहिते रतः । वर्षास्वाकाशवासी च हेमंते सलिलाशयः
niyato niyatāhāraḥ sarvabhūtahite rataḥ | varṣāsvākāśavāsī ca hemaṃte salilāśayaḥ
He was disciplined and measured in food, devoted to the welfare of all beings. In the rainy season he dwelt exposed to the open sky, and in winter he remained in water.
Sūta
Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhas/ṛṣis
Scene: Vasiṣṭha practices seasonal austerities: standing beneath monsoon clouds without shelter, then immersed in a cold water body during winter, serene and unwavering, surrounded by forest life unharmed.
FAQs
True tapas combines self-discipline with compassion and universal welfare (sarvabhūta-hita).
Indirectly Arbuda, by portraying the ascetic power that will sanctify the region.
Ascetic observances are described: regulated diet, open-sky living in rains, and water-penance in winter.