Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22
एतच्च तपसो मूलं तपसो मूलमेव तत् । सर्वदा कामविजयः संकल्पविजयस्तथा
etacca tapaso mūlaṃ tapaso mūlameva tat | sarvadā kāmavijayaḥ saṃkalpavijayastathā
Voici la racine même de l’austérité, la racine de l’austérité : en tout temps, la victoire sur le désir, et de même la victoire sur les résolutions et intentions vacillantes.
Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic context)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A banyan tree labeled ‘tapas’ shows two visible roots: one labeled ‘kāma-vijaya’ and the other ‘saṅkalpa-vijaya’; a pilgrim waters the roots with a pot labeled ‘abhyāsa’.
FAQs
True tapas is grounded in inner victory—over craving and over unstable or self-indulgent intentions.
No named location appears in this verse; it provides the inner-method that makes tīrtha-related vows fruitful.
The verse prescribes mental discipline as integral to vrata—maintaining firm saṃkalpa and restraining kāma.