Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42
जलाहारा वायुभक्षाः पर्णाहाराश्च तापसाः । यथा स्थंडिलगा नित्यं ये चान्यनियमाः पृथक्
jalāhārā vāyubhakṣāḥ parṇāhārāśca tāpasāḥ | yathā sthaṃḍilagā nityaṃ ye cānyaniyamāḥ pṛthak
Para pertapa ada yang hidup dengan air, ada yang seakan-akan ‘memakan’ angin, ada yang berbekal daun; demikian pula mereka yang sentiasa berbaring di tanah kosong, serta yang memegang disiplin-disiplin lain yang berbeza.
Śiva
Tirtha: Prabhāsa (ascetic precincts/āśramas)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A sequence-like tableau of ascetics in the Prabhāsa region: one drinking only water, one practicing prāṇa-based restraint (vayu-bhakṣa), one eating leaves, and one lying on bare earth; all calm, focused, and radiant with tapas.
FAQs
Dharma is supported by disciplined living; varied austerities are acknowledged as legitimate paths of tapas.
The verse sits within the Prācīna/Prabhāsa tīrtha praise, though it lists general tapas practices rather than a new site.
A catalogue of austerities: water-diet, breath-subsistence, leaf-diet, sleeping on bare ground, and other niyamas.