Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59
त्र्यहं प्रातस्त्रयहं सायं त्र्यहमद्यादयाचितम् । त्र्यहं चोपवसेदंत्यं प्राजापत्यं चरन्द्विजः
tryahaṃ prātastrayahaṃ sāyaṃ tryahamadyādayācitam | tryahaṃ copavasedaṃtyaṃ prājāpatyaṃ carandvijaḥ
Seorang dvija hendaknya menjalankan tapa Prājāpatya demikian: tiga hari makan hanya pada pagi, tiga hari hanya pada petang; tiga hari makan hanya yang diberikan tanpa diminta; dan tiga hari terakhir berpuasa.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse, typically Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A dvija ascetic in Kāśī follows a twelve-day regimen: first taking a small morning meal, then evening meal, then accepting unasked alms, finally fasting—seated near a ghat with prayerful composure.
FAQs
Discipline of appetite and humility (accepting what comes unasked) purify the mind and restore dharmic balance through regulated austerity.
The broader setting is Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where dharma and expiations are taught as part of the city’s sanctifying power.
The Prājāpatya prāyaścitta: 3 days morning-only meals, 3 days evening-only meals, 3 days eating only unasked gifts, then 3 days fasting.