Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55
शुशोच हा कष्टमिति पापोहमिति चासकृत् । तत्तस्य चांतरं दृष्ट्वाऽहृष्यत्यव्रतश्चिरात्
śuśoca hā kaṣṭamiti pāpohamiti cāsakṛt | tattasya cāṃtaraṃ dṛṣṭvā'hṛṣyatyavrataścirāt
Il se lamenta sans cesse, s’écriant : « Hélas, quelle détresse ! Je suis pécheur ! » Voyant cette brèche en son cœur, l’homme sans discipline—après une longue attente—se réjouit.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Scene: A man weeps, hands raised in lament; behind him a shadowy figure—symbol of the ‘avratī’—smiles subtly, sensing an opening in the grieving heart.
FAQs
Excessive lamentation creates an inner breach; dharma requires mental guardianship, especially when tested by suffering.
No tīrtha is referenced; the verse focuses on ethical-psychological struggle.
Implicitly, the value of vrata (disciplined vows) is contrasted with being avrata, but no specific rite is prescribed.