Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57
श्मशानस्तंभ येनाहं दत्ता तुभ्यं कृतंत्वाय । इह कंदफलाहारैर्यत्किं तेन न पूर्यते
śmaśānastaṃbha yenāhaṃ dattā tubhyaṃ kṛtaṃtvāya | iha kaṃdaphalāhārairyatkiṃ tena na pūryate
“Demi tiang di tanah pembakaran mayat itu, yang melaluinya aku diserahkan kepadamu—apakah lagi yang belum ditunaikannya? Sedang di sini kita hidup dengan akar dan buah sebagai makanan.”
Ruci
Type: kshetra
Scene: A tense dialogue in a cremation-ground hermitage: a woman speaks with sharp restraint, pointing to a cremation-ground post; ascetics nearby subsist on roots and fruits; ash, skull motifs, and a boundary-stake dominate the foreground.
FAQs
Austerity without mutual consent can become a source of conflict; dharma in household life requires compassion and shared resolve.
No tīrtha is praised here; the verse references a śmaśāna setting as part of the narrative background.
No formal rite; it mentions an austere diet of roots and fruits, indicating a life of hardship/ascetic constraint.