Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26
अन्धक उवाच । यदि तुष्टोऽसि मे देव वरं दास्यसि चेप्सितम् । तदा ददस्व मे देव युद्धं परमशोभनम् । अवद्धस्तपूतो येनाहं लोकान्गन्तास्मि शोभनान्
andhaka uvāca | yadi tuṣṭo'si me deva varaṃ dāsyasi cepsitam | tadā dadasva me deva yuddhaṃ paramaśobhanam | avaddhastapūto yenāhaṃ lokāngantāsmi śobhanān
Andhaka berkata: “Wahai Tuhan, jika Engkau berkenan kepadaku dan akan menganugerahkan karunia yang kuinginkan, maka berikanlah kepadaku, wahai Dewa, sebuah peperangan yang amat mulia—agar aku, tanpa terbelenggu dan disucikan oleh tapa, dapat menuju alam-alam yang gemilang.”
Andhaka
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) region (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: The Blessed Lord
Scene: Andhaka, powerful and intense, petitions with folded hands yet eyes bright with martial longing; behind him, faint visions of battlefield banners and weapons appear like a premonition, while the Lord remains calm and discerning.
FAQs
Austerity can empower intent, but desire directed toward violence reveals the need for dhārmic discrimination in seeking boons.
No site is directly praised; the verse is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s narrative frame.
Tapas (austerity) is referenced as a purifying discipline, though no specific vow or rite is detailed.