Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
यावद्व्रजेत्त्रिचतुराणि पदानि खेदात्स्वेदोदबिंदुकणिकांचितभालदेशः । प्रत्युद्गमाऽकरणतः किल मे विनाशस्तावद्धराभयवरादिव संचुकोच
yāvadvrajettricaturāṇi padāni khedātsvedodabiṃdukaṇikāṃcitabhāladeśaḥ | pratyudgamā'karaṇataḥ kila me vināśastāvaddharābhayavarādiva saṃcukoca
Baru tiga atau empat langkah dia melangkah kerana letih, dahinya pun bertabur titisan peluh. “Sesungguhnya, jika aku tidak keluar menyambutnya, aku pasti binasa!”—berfikir demikian, gunung itu segera menguncup ke belakang, seolah-olah gentar akan anugerah perlindungan yang sekaligus mengikat.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration typically Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Vindhya (as sacred mountain in Purāṇic itinerary)
Type: peak
Listener: Assembly of sages (frame implied)
Scene: A colossal Vindhya, anthropomorphized, recoils and visibly contracts as a strained figure takes a few steps; sweat beads on the traveler’s brow; the mountain’s ‘fear’ is shown as a physical shrinking, like a living being bound by a protective boon.
FAQs
Pride collapses before true tapas: reverence to saints and prompt humility avert downfall.
Indirectly, the narrative supports Agastya’s southward movement connected to Kāśī’s fame; the verse itself focuses on the Vindhya episode.
None explicitly; the emphasis is ethical—proper reception (pratyudgama) and respectful conduct toward a muni.