Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11
ततोऽब्रवीत्तमागत्य तां गर्तां ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः । भोभो वृक निवर्तस्व तपसोऽस्मात्सुदारुणात्
tato'bravīttamāgatya tāṃ gartāṃ brāhmaṇottamāḥ | bhobho vṛka nivartasva tapaso'smātsudāruṇāt
तेव्हा, हे ब्राह्मणोत्तमांनो, ब्रह्मा त्या गर्ताजवळ येऊन म्हणाले— “अरे वृक, या अत्यंत दारुण तपातून निवृत्त हो।”
Brahmā (implied by the immediate narrative flow from the prior verse)
Type: kund
Listener: Brāhmaṇo-ttamāḥ / dvija audience (addressed)
Scene: Brahmā stands at the edge of a deep pit, addressing the unseen ascetic within; the scene balances awe with tenderness as the deity urges cessation of dreadful penance.
FAQs
Even legitimate austerity should be guided by dharma; divine grace often moderates extremes and redirects effort toward a boon or purpose.
The verse is set within a Tīrthamāhātmya narrative but does not name the tīrtha in this line; it describes the scene of tapas in a pit.
No ritual prescription; it is a narrative instruction to cease severe tapas.