Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15
कृत्वा मासोपवासानि स्खलंति ब्रह्मचर्यतः । सकृदेव द्विकृत्वो वा त्रिःकृत्वो दैवयोगतः
kṛtvā māsopavāsāni skhalaṃti brahmacaryataḥ | sakṛdeva dvikṛtvo vā triḥkṛtvo daivayogataḥ
मासभर उपवास करूनही काही जण ब्रह्मचर्य-व्रतापासून स्खलित होतात—दैवयोगाच्या बळाने एकदा, दोनदा किंवा तिनदाही।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija (addressed)
Scene: A penitent ascetic or householder-votary after month-long fasting, shown in inner turmoil as the force of fate and desire approaches; Kāśī’s ghāṭs and Śiva’s presence loom as moral witness.
FAQs
Austerities like fasting are powerful, yet human vows can falter; dharma requires humility, vigilance, and renewed resolve.
The broader discourse belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa (Varanasi/Kashi), though this verse emphasizes vrata-dharma rather than naming a specific tirtha.
Month-long fasting (māsa-upavāsa) and the observance of brahmacarya (continence) are referenced.