Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12
नियतो नियताहारः सर्वभूतहिते रतः । वर्षास्वाकाशवासी च हेमंते सलिलाशयः
niyato niyatāhāraḥ sarvabhūtahite rataḥ | varṣāsvākāśavāsī ca hemaṃte salilāśayaḥ
Era disciplinado y moderado en el alimento, dedicado al bien de todos los seres. En la estación de las lluvias moraba bajo el cielo abierto, y en el invierno permanecía en el agua.
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.