Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41
आप्लुतो वाजिमेधस्य फलं प्राप्स्यति पुष्कलम् । नियमैश्चोपवासैश्च शोषयेद्देहमात्मनः
āpluto vājimedhasya phalaṃ prāpsyati puṣkalam | niyamaiścopavāsaiśca śoṣayeddehamātmanaḥ
By bathing here one obtains abundant fruit equal to that of the Aśvamedha. And by restraints and fasts one should discipline—indeed dry up—one’s own body through austerity.
Śiva
Tirtha: Prabhāsa (Prabhāsakṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Pilgrims bathe at a sacred coastal/riverine tīrtha of Prabhāsa at dawn; nearby ascetics observe fasts and restraints, embodying tapas; the atmosphere suggests sacrifice-like sanctity without a physical yajña-fire.
FAQs
Pilgrimage-bathing combined with tapas (discipline and fasting) is portrayed as a potent, accessible substitute for costly Vedic sacrifices.
The verse continues the praise of bathing at Prācīna Tīrtha in Prabhāsa.
Snāna (immersion) along with niyama (restraints) and upavāsa (fasting) as austerity.