Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 86
तिष्ठेद्युगसहस्रं तु पादेनैकेन यः पुमान् । विधिवत्संगमे स्नायात्पौष्यां तदविशेषतः
tiṣṭhedyugasahasraṃ tu pādenaikena yaḥ pumān | vidhivatsaṃgame snāyātpauṣyāṃ tadaviśeṣataḥ
Quand bien même un homme se tiendrait sur un seul pied durant mille yuga, le fruit n’en serait pas différent de celui obtenu en se baignant selon le rite au confluent, le jour de Puṣya.
Brahmā (deduced: Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Ayodhyā-saṅgama
Type: sangam
Listener: Sages/pilgrims (general)
Scene: A lone ascetic stands on one foot in a forest for aeons, contrasted with a bustling yet serene saṅgama at Ayodhyā where devotees bathe on Puṣya day; the verse’s point is shown by a scale-like visual: simple snāna outweighs extreme tapas.
FAQs
Grace at a supremely sanctified tīrtha—especially on an auspicious star-day—can equal ascetic feats of unimaginable duration.
The Ayodhyā saṅgama (confluence) where bathing is praised.
Vidhivat snāna (rule-based bathing) at the saṅgama specifically on Puṣya (pauṣyām).