Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8
आसीन्महेन्द्रनामा च दानवो रौद्ररूपधृक् । कोटिवर्षाणि तेनैव तपस्तप्तं पुरा प्रिये
āsīnmahendranāmā ca dānavo raudrarūpadhṛk | koṭivarṣāṇi tenaiva tapastaptaṃ purā priye
Pada zaman dahulu, wahai kekasih, ada seorang Dānava bernama Mahendra, berwajah garang. Selama berjuta-juta tahun dia melakukan tapa yang amat berat.
Śiva
Tirtha: Tāla (origin narrative begins with Mahendra’s tapas)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)
Scene: A terrifying dānava Mahendra, with rudra-like ferocity, performs extreme austerities for millions of years—standing amid fire, wind, and sun—while sages and devas watch in alarm; the landscape hints at a coastal/rocky sacred region that will later become a tīrtha.
FAQs
Austerity generates immense power, but without dharmic orientation it can fuel conflict rather than liberation.
The narrative is part of Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s Tala-svāmin/Taptodaka-svāmin origin account.
Tapas (austerity) is described as the motivating force; no specific vrata or rite is prescribed here.