Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 72
ग्रीष्मे पंचाग्निमध्यस्थो ह्यतपत्स महातपाः । वार्षिके च निरालम्बो हेमन्ते च सरोवरे
grīṣme paṃcāgnimadhyastho hyatapatsa mahātapāḥ | vārṣike ca nirālambo hemante ca sarovare
No verão, esse grande asceta praticou austeridade permanecendo no meio dos cinco fogos; na estação das chuvas, ficou sem apoio; e no inverno, permaneceu num lago.
Agastya
Tirtha: Ayodhyā
Type: kshetra
Scene: Triptych-like depiction of the same ascetic across seasons: (1) summer—standing amid four fires with the sun overhead (pañcāgni), (2) monsoon—upright without support in driving rain, (3) winter—immersed in a lotus-filled lake, breath steady.
FAQs
Steadfastness across hardship is celebrated as tapas: endurance becomes an offering that intensifies spiritual attainment in a holy kṣetra.
The austerities are part of the Ayodhyāmāhātmya narrative, implying Ayodhyā as a powerful setting for intense sādhana.
Forms of tapas are described: pañcāgni in summer, unsupported discipline in the rains, and remaining in water during winter.