Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
अहंकारेण संयुक्ताः परस्परजिगीषवः । तपसा विप्रयुक्ताश्च भोगसक्ता दिवानिशम्
ahaṃkāreṇa saṃyuktāḥ parasparajigīṣavaḥ | tapasā viprayuktāśca bhogasaktā divāniśam
«Liés par l’orgueil, cherchant à se vaincre les uns les autres, déchus de l’austérité et attachés aux jouissances jour et nuit—de tels hommes sont mus par la rivalité plutôt que par le dharma.»
Indra (Purandara) (deduced from immediate context where he is addressed as Purandara in v.24)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two factions of ritualists compete in a sacrificial arena, measuring status; behind them, symbols of luxury and indulgence; a neglected ascetic fire (tapas) smolders faintly.
FAQs
Ego and competitive hostility corrode tapas; without restraint, even a holy setting cannot uplift the mind.
This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the precise tīrtha name is not stated in this single verse.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it gives a moral diagnosis—avoid ego, rivalry, and pleasure-seeking that weaken austerity.