Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 71
मम तुल्यं तपश्चक्रे शूद्रयोनावपि स्थिता । निवर्तते तु यद्येषा तपसस्तु निवर्तनम् । करोम्यद्य जगन्नाथ तदहं संशयं विना
mama tulyaṃ tapaścakre śūdrayonāvapi sthitā | nivartate tu yadyeṣā tapasastu nivartanam | karomyadya jagannātha tadahaṃ saṃśayaṃ vinā
“Walaupun lahir dalam rahim Śūdra, dia telah melakukan tapa yang setara denganku. Jika kini dia berpaling daripada pertapaannya, maka, wahai Tuhan alam semesta, pada hari ini aku juga akan menarik diri daripada tapaku—tanpa sebarang keraguan.”
Brāhmaṇī
Type: kshetra
Scene: The brāhmaṇī speaks with firm resolve, indicating her friend; Ratnāvatī stands as a humble tapasvinī despite royal birth, while the verse stresses her Śūdra birth in this line—depict as socially modest yet spiritually radiant; Śiva listens as judge of tapas.
FAQs
Spiritual effort (tapas) is honored for its sincerity, not merely for social origin; compassion motivates the devotee’s vow.
The particular tīrtha is not named in this verse; it remains within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya setting.
A vow-like resolve is stated: the speaker will cease her own tapas if her companion withdraws—highlighting solidarity in ascetic practice.