Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57
अहो बत महत्कष्टं पुत्रो मे कृशतां गतः । तपसः संप्रभावेन नयामि स्वगृहं कथम् । भार्येयं च तथा मह्यं विवर्णा तु कृशा स्थिता
aho bata mahatkaṣṭaṃ putro me kṛśatāṃ gataḥ | tapasaḥ saṃprabhāvena nayāmi svagṛhaṃ katham | bhāryeyaṃ ca tathā mahyaṃ vivarṇā tu kṛśā sthitā
«Hélas, quelle grande épreuve! Mon fils est devenu décharné. Sous l’effet accablant de l’austérité, comment le ramènerai-je à la maison? Et mon épouse aussi se tient ici, pâle et amaigrie.»
Gautama Ṛṣi (lament/observation in direct speech)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A worried father beholds his emaciated son and pale, thin wife at a pilgrimage encampment; the austerity has visibly drained them, while the sacred destination remains ahead.
FAQs
Spiritual striving is honored, yet dharma also recognizes compassion and prudent care for the body.
The narrative remains situated in the Hāṭakeśvara-related tīrtha milieu of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
No new rite is prescribed; the verse underscores the intensity of tapas and its consequences.