Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
दनुजा मनुजा दैत्यास्तपस्यंत्युग्रसंयमाः । गंधर्व यक्षरक्षांसि महेंद्रपदलिप्सवः
danujā manujā daityāstapasyaṃtyugrasaṃyamāḥ | gaṃdharva yakṣarakṣāṃsi maheṃdrapadalipsavaḥ
Para Dānava, manusia dan Daitya ber-tapa dengan pengendalian diri yang keras; demikian juga Gandharva, Yakṣa dan Rākṣasa—mendambakan martabat Mahendra.
Skanda
Tirtha: null
Type: null
Listener: null
Scene: A montage of beings—Dānavas, Daityas, humans, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas—performing fierce austerities in forests and mountains, eyes fixed on a distant vision of Indra’s throne.
FAQs
Even exalted status is portrayed as the fruit of disciplined tapas; uncontrolled ambition must be tempered by restraint.
The verse supports the ongoing Kāśīkhaṇḍa praise of a Mahendra-linked divine city/state, framing it as a coveted goal.
Tapas with intense self-control (ugra-saṃyama) is indicated as the means to seek higher rank.