Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21
शौचं तुष्टिस्तपश्चैव जपो भक्तिर्गुरोस्तथा । एतेषामपि पंचानां पृथक्संशृणु लक्षणम्
śaucaṃ tuṣṭistapaścaiva japo bhaktirgurostathā | eteṣāmapi paṃcānāṃ pṛthaksaṃśṛṇu lakṣaṇam
ശൗചം, തുഷ്ടി, തപസ്, ജപം, ഗുരുഭക്തി—ഇവയാണ് അഞ്ചു നിയമങ്ങൾ; ഇവയുടെ വ്യത്യസ്ത ലക്ഷണങ്ങൾ ഓരോന്നായി കേൾക്കുക।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Listener: Disciple/ṛṣi
Scene: A five-petaled lotus labeled with the five niyamas; at the center a devotee seated with japa-mālā, a guru figure blessing, water pot and cleansing items nearby, and a small fire symbolizing tapas.
FAQs
Inner progress rests on niyamas: purity, contentment, disciplined austerity, sacred repetition, and reverence for the guru.
No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a general dharma-yoga teaching.
Japa is explicitly prescribed as a niyama, along with disciplined purity and devotional service to the guru.