Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30
साक्षात्किंवाडवाग्निर्वा मूर्त्या वै तप्यते तपः । स्थाणुवन्निश्चलतरं निर्मलं सन्मनो यथा
sākṣātkiṃvāḍavāgnirvā mūrtyā vai tapyate tapaḥ | sthāṇuvanniścalataraṃ nirmalaṃ sanmano yathā
Adakah ini Vāḍavāgni, api bawah samudera, yang menjelma lalu bertapa dalam rupa jasmani? Baginda teguh seperti tiang, sama sekali tidak bergerak—suci bening seperti hati orang saleh.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A motionless ascetic stands/sits like a pillar, blazing with contained inner fire; devas wonder if he is vāḍavāgni incarnate; the atmosphere is pristine and still.
FAQs
The hallmark of tapas is steady stillness and inner purity—fire-like intensity guided by a stainless mind.
The Kāśīkhaṇḍa milieu is implied; the verse praises the kind of austerity especially esteemed in Kāśī’s Śaiva setting.
No explicit rite; it extols niścalatā (immobility) and nirmalatā (purity) as the discipline of tapas.