Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3
साभिलाषास्तपस्यंति स्वर्गभोगोस्त्वितीह नः । तेऽत्र रुद्रपुरे रम्ये रुद्ररूपधरा नराः
sābhilāṣāstapasyaṃti svargabhogostvitīha naḥ | te'tra rudrapure ramye rudrarūpadharā narāḥ
‘स्वर्गभोग मिळो’ अशा अभिलाषेने ते तपस्या करतात. येथे या रम्य रुद्रपुरीत ते पुरुष रुद्ररूप धारण करतात.
Gaṇas (continuing)
Tirtha: Rudra-pura (Aiśānī context)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Tapasvins in Rudra’s city perform austerities with thoughts of svarga; yet their bodies subtly take on Rudra-like marks—trident insignia, ash lines, matted hair—signaling sārūpya (form-likeness).
FAQs
Even when austerity begins with desire for heaven, dwelling in Rudra’s sacred domain elevates the devotee toward Rudra-like purity and identity.
Rudrapura—‘the city of Rudra’—a sanctified locale within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred geography.
Tapas (austerity) is mentioned; the verse does not specify a particular vrata or offering.