Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 140
बहूपसर्गो योगोयं कृच्छ्रसाध्यं तपो हि यत् । योगाद्भ्रष्टस्तपोभ्रष्टो गर्भक्लेशसहःपुनः
bahūpasargo yogoyaṃ kṛcchrasādhyaṃ tapo hi yat | yogādbhraṣṭastapobhraṣṭo garbhakleśasahaḥpunaḥ
Cette voie du yoga est assaillie de nombreux obstacles; et le tapas, l’austérité, ne s’accomplit qu’au prix d’une rude peine. Celui qui déchoit du yoga ou du tapas doit de nouveau endurer les douleurs du sein maternel — la renaissance.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative context)
Listener: Umā/Devī (likely in surrounding dialogue)
Scene: An ascetic attempts yoga amid distractions—wind, hunger, doubts—while a shadowy wheel of rebirth looms; the imagery underscores the hardship of tapas and the sorrow of returning to womb-suffering after spiritual fall.
FAQs
Yoga and austerity are difficult and vulnerable to downfall; spiritual negligence can lead back to rebirth and its suffering.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa it supports Kāśī’s broader mokṣa-mahātmya by contrasting difficult sādhana.
No specific rite is prescribed; it warns about maintaining steadiness in yoga and tapas.