Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36
बालत्वाद्भीषितो भूतैस्तपस्त्यक्ष्यत्यसौ ध्रुवम् । इति निश्चित्य भूतालिं प्रेषयामास वासवः
bālatvādbhīṣito bhūtaistapastyakṣyatyasau dhruvam | iti niścitya bhūtāliṃ preṣayāmāsa vāsavaḥ
«Parce qu’il n’est qu’un enfant, assurément—terrifié par ces bhūtas—il délaissera ses austérités (tapas).» Ayant ainsi tranché, Vāsava (Indra) dépêcha contre lui une armée de bhūtas.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Indra, anxious about a child-ascetic’s rising tapas, dispatches a swirling troop of bhūtas toward the solitary boy absorbed in austerity, with Kāśī’s sacred ambience in the background.
FAQs
True tapas is tested by fear and obstruction; steadfastness is the measure of spiritual resolve.
The broader setting is Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse itself focuses on a trial of austerity rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the theme is the protection and perseverance of tapas (austerity).