Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 141
त्यक्त्वा जलाशनं बाला पर्णादा ह्यभवच्च सा । ततः साऽर्द्राणि पर्णानि त्यक्त्वा शुष्काणि चाददे
tyaktvā jalāśanaṃ bālā parṇādā hyabhavacca sā | tataḥ sā'rdrāṇi parṇāni tyaktvā śuṣkāṇi cādade
A jovem donzela abandonou até a água e o alimento, tornando-se comedora de folhas. Depois, deixando as folhas úmidas, tomou apenas folhas secas.
Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context, traditionally Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)
Tirtha: Kedāra-tapas-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: The maiden renounces water and food, living on leaves; then she rejects moist leaves and takes only dry leaves—an image of escalating austerity in the Himalayan wild.
FAQs
Progressive renunciation—reducing dependence on sustenance—symbolizes single-minded pursuit of the Divine.
Kedāra is the implied setting where these austerities are performed as part of the site’s Mahātmya narrative.
Austerity through fasting and restricted diet (parṇāśana, then stricter) is described as a form of vrata-like discipline.