Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31
सारजिज्ञासया तस्थावेकांगुष्ठः शतं समाः । ततः प्रोवाच तं दिव्या वाणी कात्यायन श्रृणु
sārajijñāsayā tasthāvekāṃguṣṭhaḥ śataṃ samāḥ | tataḥ provāca taṃ divyā vāṇī kātyāyana śrṛṇu
सार-तत्त्व को जानने की इच्छा से वह एक अंगूठे पर स्थिर होकर सौ वर्षों तक तप करता रहा। तब दिव्य वाणी ने कहा— “कात्यायन, सुनो।”
Suśravā (narrating Kātyāyana’s account)
Scene: A lone sage (Kātyāyana) stands on one toe in a forested hermitage, body austere and radiant with tapas; above, an unseen divine presence manifests as luminous sound/ākāśa-vāṇī.
FAQs
Sincere longing for dharma’s essence, supported by tapas and steadiness, draws divine guidance.
Not named in this verse; it narrates the preparatory austerity leading to a location-based instruction.
Tapas (austerity) is described—standing on one toe—though not presented as a general prescription for all.