Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23
महातपोऽनलज्वालाः प्राप्यापि सुचिरं विभो । न दग्धा कृत्तिरेषा मे पुण्यगंधनिधिस्ततः
mahātapo'nalajvālāḥ prāpyāpi suciraṃ vibho | na dagdhā kṛttireṣā me puṇyagaṃdhanidhistataḥ
Ô Seigneur, bien que, durant très longtemps, les feux flamboyants de la grande ascèse m’aient atteint, cette peau mienne n’a pas été brûlée ; c’est pourquoi elle est un trésor de parfum sacré et de mérite.
Daitya (the devotee addressed by Śaṅkara in the following verses)
Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical frame; not explicit in excerpt)
Scene: A daitya devotee presents his unburnt hide as proof of merit after enduring blazing austerity-fires; Śiva, digambara, stands serene, the battlefield hinted in the background, with a subtle aura of sacred fragrance rising like incense.
FAQs
True austerity and devotion are portrayed as producing sacred power (puṇya) that remains unconsumed even amid intense trials.
The wider context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), where Śiva later establishes the Kṛttivāseśvara liṅga as a liberating presence.
None directly; the verse emphasizes the spiritual potency accrued through long tapas (austerity).