Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 72
इति चेति हरिष्यामि तपसा रक्षितां मुनेः । अस्याः कृते यदि शपेन्मुनिस्तत्र पराभवः
iti ceti hariṣyāmi tapasā rakṣitāṃ muneḥ | asyāḥ kṛte yadi śapenmunistatra parābhavaḥ
«Ainsi donc, je l’emporterai, fût-elle gardée par la puissance de l’ascèse du sage.» Mais si le sage me maudissait à cause d’elle, ce serait pour moi la ruine.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating within Māheśvara-khaṇḍa to the sages (deduced)
Listener: (Contextual) interlocutor of the Skanda narration
Scene: A powerful figure resolves to abduct a protected woman, yet hesitates, visualizing the invisible shield of the sage’s austerity and the looming specter of a curse.
FAQs
Austerity (tapas) carries spiritual potency, and violating dharmic protection invites karmic downfall, often through a sage’s curse.
No tīrtha is named; the focus is on the moral force of tapas within the narrative.
No ritual is prescribed; tapas is referenced as protective spiritual power.