Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
हाटकेश्वरजं क्षेत्रं समासाद्य स सद्द्विजाः । बाल्येऽपि वयसि प्राप्ते समारेभे महत्तपः
hāṭakeśvarajaṃ kṣetraṃ samāsādya sa saddvijāḥ | bālye'pi vayasi prāpte samārebhe mahattapaḥ
Setelah sampai ke wilayah suci Hāṭakeśvara, brāhmaṇa yang saleh itu—meski masih muda—memulakan tapa yang besar dan berat.
Narrator (Purāṇic voice; contextually Sūta-like narration)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (implied)
Scene: Young Jābāli arrives at Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra—visible liṅga-shrine or sacred precinct—then begins intense austerity: standing posture, raised arms, or seated meditation near a sacred grove/riverbank, with the kṣetra’s sanctity subtly radiating.
FAQs
True sanctity arises when one approaches a tīrtha with resolve and undertakes disciplined tapas, regardless of age.
Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, presented as a potent field for austerity and spiritual attainment.
No specific ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on commencing great tapas at the tīrtha.