Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12
पुलोमतनया पूर्वं तताप परमं तपः । किंचिन्मनोरथं प्राप्तुं न चाप तपसः फलम्
pulomatanayā pūrvaṃ tatāpa paramaṃ tapaḥ | kiṃcinmanorathaṃ prāptuṃ na cāpa tapasaḥ phalam
Dahulu putri Pulomā melakukan tapa yang amat berat untuk meraih suatu keinginan; namun buah tapa itu tidak ia peroleh.
Śiva (narrating an example to Devī)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrim-audience/sages (implicit)
Scene: A young divine maiden (Pulomā’s daughter) in a forest-hermitage setting, emaciated from austerities, seated in meditation with matted hair and ascetic implements; the atmosphere conveys effort without fruition, with Kāśī’s sacred aura hinted by distant ghāṭa silhouettes or a liṅga shrine.
FAQs
Austerity alone may not bear fruit unless aligned with the right devotional approach and divine grace.
While the verse itself is narrative, it is taught within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where such vow-stories are anchored in Kāśī’s sanctity.
No direct prescription here; it introduces a katha (illustrative story) leading to the Manoratha-vrata’s method.