Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 106
सुरैः सह स्पर्धमानास्तपोभिरपि तामसैः । मां भजंते मुहुर्मोहाज्जगदुत्सादनोद्यताः
suraiḥ saha spardhamānāstapobhirapi tāmasaiḥ | māṃ bhajaṃte muhurmohājjagadutsādanodyatāḥ
Même ceux qui, dans leur obscurité (tamas), rivalisent avec les dieux par des austérités et visent la ruine du monde, par illusion, ils recourent encore et encore à mon adoration.
Śiva (deduced from Adhyāya context: Śiva explaining the supremacy of bhakti and the Śiva–Viṣṇu secret to Devī)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)
Scene: Dark-aura ascetics performing fierce tapas—standing amid fire, smoke, and thorny austerities—yet turning repeatedly toward Śiva in worship; devas in the background appear challenged, while the world trembles at the ascetics’ destructive intent.
FAQs
Bhakti draws beings toward the Divine even when their motives are confused or impure; devotion has a compelling power beyond mere ascetic display.
The setting is Prabhāsa Kṣetra in the Prabhāsa Khanda’s Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse contrasts tapas with the act of bhajana (devotional worship).