Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17
एवं च वसते तत्र जनः स्वर्गे तपोधन । यावत्पुण्यक्षयस्तावत्पश्चात्पातमवाप्नुयात्
evaṃ ca vasate tatra janaḥ svarge tapodhana | yāvatpuṇyakṣayastāvatpaścātpātamavāpnuyāt
एवं तत्र जनाः स्वर्गे वसन्ति, तपोधन, यावत् पुण्यस्य क्षयः न भवति; पुण्यक्षये तु पश्चात् तस्मात् पदात् पतनं प्राप्नुवन्ति।
Devadūta
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha region)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Tapodhana / muni (addressee)
Scene: A didactic vision: souls enjoying svarga in radiant vimānas while an unseen counter of merit diminishes; as puṇya ends, the radiance fades and a downward path appears, underscoring impermanence.
FAQs
Heaven is not final liberation: it lasts only until puṇya is spent, teaching impermanence and the need for a higher, Śiva-centered goal.
No single earthly tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the Arbuda Khaṇḍa’s broader māhātmya by steering the listener toward lasting spiritual attainment.
No explicit rite is given; the verse provides doctrinal guidance about karma’s finite results.