Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 10
एव शापं ददौ तेषां सुराणां सा तपस्विनी । प्रवीश्याश्वत्थमूले सा स्वोदरं दारयत्तदा
eva śāpaṃ dadau teṣāṃ surāṇāṃ sā tapasvinī | pravīśyāśvatthamūle sā svodaraṃ dārayattadā
Ainsi, cette ascète lança sa malédiction sur les dieux. Puis, entrant sous la racine du saint aśvattha (pipal), à l’instant même elle déchira son propre sein maternel.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Aśvattha-mūla tīrtha (contextual, unnamed)
Type: kund
Scene: Under a massive aśvattha tree with spreading roots, Suvarcā—radiant with ascetic power—enters the root-space and performs a terrifying act of opening her womb; the scene is both tragic and numinous, with nature reacting (stillness, darkened sky).
FAQs
Tapas and truthfulness are portrayed as forces so potent that even the gods must answer to them; dharma is upheld through austerity and resolve.
The broader setting is Kedāra-khaṇḍa (Kedārakṣetra/Himalayan sacred geography), while this verse specifically highlights the sanctity of the aśvattha (pipal) as a sacred locus.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse is narrative, emphasizing tapas and the sacredness of the aśvattha.