Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20
रत्नेश्वरे सहस्रं तु ऋषीणामूर्द्ध्वरेतसाम् । अर्कस्थले महापुण्ये कोटिः साग्रा स्थिता शुभे
ratneśvare sahasraṃ tu ṛṣīṇāmūrddhvaretasām | arkasthale mahāpuṇye koṭiḥ sāgrā sthitā śubhe
At Ratneśvara, a thousand sages—steadfast in disciplined continence (ūrdhvareta)—abide. And at the greatly meritorious Arkasthala, in that auspicious place, a koṭi (and more) dwell.
Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)
Tirtha: Ratneśvara; Arkasthala
Type: kshetra
Scene: A coastal sacred landscape dotted with liṅga-shrines—Ratneśvara and Arkasthala—where multitudes of austere sages with matted hair sit in meditation, fire-altars glowing, the sea-breeze and tīrtha-banners moving gently.
FAQs
Self-restraint and tapas flourish in sanctified landscapes; such places are revered as reservoirs of puṇya.
Ratneśvara and Arkasthala within Prabhāsakṣetra.
No explicit rite is commanded; the verse praises these sites by noting the presence of ascetic sages.