Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32
छिन्नहस्तोऽपि शंखस्तु तपश्चक्रे सुदारुणम् । विशेषेण समासाद्य स्वाश्रमे भूय एव तु
chinnahasto'pi śaṃkhastu tapaścakre sudāruṇam | viśeṣeṇa samāsādya svāśrame bhūya eva tu
छिन्नहस्तोऽपि शंखस्तु सुदारुणं तपश्चक्रे; विशेषेण भूय एव स्वाश्रमे समासाद्य।
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Śaṅkha, with a severed hand, sits in severe austerity—matted hair, emaciated body, focused gaze—within his hermitage; the atmosphere is intense yet serene.
FAQs
True atonement is sustained transformation—tapas and perseverance can purify even after severe consequences.
Not named here; the hermitage setting supports the tīrtha-māhātmya theme that sacred environments foster purification through tapas.
Austerity (tapas) is highlighted as the practical means of purification, though no specific vow is detailed.