Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 86
तिष्ठेद्युगसहस्रं तु पादेनैकेन यः पुमान् । विधिवत्संगमे स्नायात्पौष्यां तदविशेषतः
tiṣṭhedyugasahasraṃ tu pādenaikena yaḥ pumān | vidhivatsaṃgame snāyātpauṣyāṃ tadaviśeṣataḥ
एखादा पुरुष एकाच पायावर सहस्र युग उभा राहिला तरी, पौष्य नक्षत्रदिनी संगमावर विधिपूर्वक स्नान केल्यासारखेच फळ मिळते; वेगळेपण नाही।
Brahmā (deduced: Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Ayodhyā-saṅgama
Type: sangam
Listener: Sages/pilgrims (general)
Scene: A lone ascetic stands on one foot in a forest for aeons, contrasted with a bustling yet serene saṅgama at Ayodhyā where devotees bathe on Puṣya day; the verse’s point is shown by a scale-like visual: simple snāna outweighs extreme tapas.
FAQs
Grace at a supremely sanctified tīrtha—especially on an auspicious star-day—can equal ascetic feats of unimaginable duration.
The Ayodhyā saṅgama (confluence) where bathing is praised.
Vidhivat snāna (rule-based bathing) at the saṅgama specifically on Puṣya (pauṣyām).