Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59
यस्तत्र निवसेद्विप्र संयतात्मा समाहितः । त्रिकालमपि भुंजानो वायुभक्षसमो भवेत्
yastatra nivasedvipra saṃyatātmā samāhitaḥ | trikālamapi bhuṃjāno vāyubhakṣasamo bhavet
Wahai vipra (brahmana), sesiapa yang tinggal di sana dengan diri terkawal dan minda terhimpun—walaupun makan tiga kali sehari—menjadi seperti orang yang hidup hanya dengan udara.
Skanda
Tirtha: Avimukta
Type: kshetra
Listener: vipra (addressed) / muni in frame
Scene: A disciplined brāhmaṇa/yogin residing near Kāśī’s ghats, calm and collected, taking simple food yet surrounded by an aura of lightness—symbolizing ‘vayubhakṣa-sama’ (as if living on air).
FAQs
In Avimukta, inner discipline magnifies spiritual merit—ordinary living becomes equivalent to severe austerity.
Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī).
A discipline of residence with self-restraint (saṃyama) and concentration (samādhi-like collectedness); dietary austerity is reinterpreted through the kṣetra’s power.