Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16
यत्र त्वया तपस्तप्तं भीत्या सर्वदिवौकसाम् । अपि चौर्येण चास्माकं तपस्तपति तादृशम्
yatra tvayā tapastaptaṃ bhītyā sarvadivaukasām | api cauryeṇa cāsmākaṃ tapastapati tādṛśam
«En ce lieu même où tu as pratiqué une ascèse telle que tous les dieux furent saisis de crainte—là aussi, par ton acte de vol, une ascèse de même nature brûle maintenant contre nous.»
Unspecified (contextual dialogue within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A tense exchange: unseen or semi-visible devas/guardians speak of fear caused by the sage’s tapas, and of a theft that now ‘burns’ as a retaliatory force; the kṣetra air shimmers with heat-like radiance.
FAQs
Tapas gains power, but adharma such as theft can turn that same power into suffering and conflict; purity of conduct safeguards spiritual merit.
The verse is embedded in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the specific tīrtha name is not stated in this single line.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is a moral assertion about the consequences of caurya (theft) versus tapas.