Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73
विपक्षपरिभूतेन हृतमानेन केनचित् । परिभ्रष्टश्रिया वापि तप्तव्यं तेषु को भवान्
vipakṣaparibhūtena hṛtamānena kenacit | paribhraṣṭaśriyā vāpi taptavyaṃ teṣu ko bhavān
Si l’on est humilié par des ennemis, ou si quelqu’un lui ravit l’honneur, ou même s’il déchoit de la prospérité, alors l’austérité doit être entreprise. Mais qui es-tu parmi de tels hommes ?
Sunīti (contextual objection to Dhruva’s tapas)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Audience in the kathā frame (implicit)
Scene: A speaker lists causes that drive people to austerity—enemy humiliation, stolen honor, fallen prosperity—then points pointedly at the listener: ‘Who are you among such?’ The listener appears conflicted.
FAQs
It frames tapas as commonly arising from suffering or loss, thereby questioning premature renunciation without worldly cause.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.
Only a general statement that people undertake tapas after disgrace or misfortune; no specific rite is described.