Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 73
तया निवारिताश्चापि तास्तेपुः कृत्तिकाः स्वयम् । यावत्तेपुश्च ताः सर्व्वा रेतसः परमाणवः । विविशू रोमकूपेषु तासां तत्रैव सत्वरम्
tayā nivāritāścāpi tāstepuḥ kṛttikāḥ svayam | yāvattepuśca tāḥ sarvvā retasaḥ paramāṇavaḥ | viviśū romakūpeṣu tāsāṃ tatraiva satvaram
Walau dihalang olehnya, para Kṛttikā tetap melakukan tapas dengan sendiri. Dan ketika mereka semua tekun dalam pertapaan itu, zarah-zarah halus benih itu segera memasuki liang-liang roma pada tubuh mereka, di tempat itu juga.
Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The Kṛttikās stand in focused austerity near the fire. Invisible, shimmering particles of divine seed stream like golden motes and enter the pores of their skin, suggesting a subtle, luminous infusion.
FAQs
Tapas is portrayed as a force that transforms circumstances and becomes the conduit through which destiny unfolds in Purāṇic narratives.
The episode is embedded in Kedārakhaṇḍa’s sacred Himalayan geography, where extraordinary events are framed as part of the kṣetra’s greatness.
Tapas (austerity) is the emphasized practice, though not detailed as a specific vow in this verse.