Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3
ब्रह्मणो वाहनं जातः पुरा तप्त्वा तपो महत् । सैकदा विधिनिर्देशं विना वैयग्र्यमास्थितः
brahmaṇo vāhanaṃ jātaḥ purā taptvā tapo mahat | saikadā vidhinirdeśaṃ vinā vaiyagryamāsthitaḥ
Pada zaman dahulu, setelah bertapa dengan tapa yang agung, dia menjadi wahana (tunggangan) Brahmā. Namun sekali, dengan mengabaikan ketetapan yang ditunjukkan oleh aturan suci, dia jatuh ke dalam kegelisahan dan kekacauan.
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating)
Tirtha: Haṃseśvara (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: A radiant swan performing austerities near water and lotuses, then depicted as Brahmā’s mount beside the four-faced creator; a subtle shift shows the swan becoming restless, wings half-spread, eyes unsettled—signaling ‘vaiyagrya’.
FAQs
Even exalted status gained through tapas must be safeguarded by adherence to dharmic order (vidhi); neglect leads to inner disturbance that tīrtha narratives later resolve.
Haṃseśvara tīrtha, introduced through the legend of the haṃsa connected to Brahmā.
An implied prescription: follow vidhi (scriptural/ritual injunctions); the verse sets up the moral cause for subsequent tīrtha-related remedy.