Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
अब्भक्षैर्वायुभक्षैश्च शीर्णपर्णाशिभिस्तथा । दन्तोलूखलिभिर्विप्रैः सेवितं चाश्मकुट्टकैः
abbhakṣairvāyubhakṣaiśca śīrṇaparṇāśibhistathā | dantolūkhalibhirvipraiḥ sevitaṃ cāśmakuṭṭakaiḥ
Aquela mata sagrada era frequentada por brâmanes de votos severos: alguns viviam apenas de água, outros apenas de ar, outros comiam só folhas caídas; alguns trituravam com os dentes como num almofariz, e outros subsistiam de grãos pilados sobre pedra—assim era servido o lugar por austeros ascetas.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) — deductive attribution from Purāṇic narrative style in Māhātmya passages
Type: kshetra
Scene: A ring of ascetics in a forest: one sipping only water, another in breath-control austerity, others gathering fallen leaves; a few grind grains on stone; faces lean, eyes bright, bodies disciplined.
FAQs
A tīrtha’s greatness is shown by the caliber of tapas practiced there—purity, restraint, and renunciation sanctify the land.
A sacred forest-āśrama within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (the precise named tīrtha appears later in the narrative).
Not a ritual act but ascetic disciplines: living on water, air, fallen leaves, and minimal food prepared by stone-pounding.