Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 50
एकः प्रायोपवेशेन प्राणांस्त्यजति मानवः । पश्यत्यन्यो हृषीकेशं चातुर्मास्यं समाहितः
ekaḥ prāyopaveśena prāṇāṃstyajati mānavaḥ | paśyatyanyo hṛṣīkeśaṃ cāturmāsyaṃ samāhitaḥ
Seseorang melepaskan nyawa melalui prāyopaveśa (nazar berpuasa hingga mati); namun seorang lagi, dengan diri terhimpun, menyaksikan Hṛṣīkeśa pada Cāturmāsya—itulah yang dipuji sebagai keuntungan rohani yang lebih tinggi.
Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not in snippet)
Tirtha: Hṛṣīkeśa-darśana (Cāturmāsya)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A contrast tableau: on one side an ascetic undertaking prāyopaveśa (emaciated, seated in vow), on the other a serene devotee with folded hands beholding Hṛṣīkeśa during the rainy-season Cāturmāsya; the deity radiates calm sovereignty over the senses.
FAQs
Austerities that end life are not the highest ideal; the highest is steadfast devotion culminating in divine darśana.
No named location in this verse; the focus is the sacred Cāturmāsya period and Hṛṣīkeśa.
Prāyopaveśa (fasting unto death) is referenced as an extreme vow, contrasted with Cāturmāsya-centered worship and contemplation.