Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46
अग्निहोत्री तपस्वी च क्षणवान्क्रियते यदि । अग्निहोत्रं तपश्चैव सर्वं तद्धनिनो धनम्
agnihotrī tapasvī ca kṣaṇavānkriyate yadi | agnihotraṃ tapaścaiva sarvaṃ taddhanino dhanam
अग्निहोत्री तपस्वी च यदि क्षणमपि पराधीनो भवति, तदा तस्याग्निहोत्रं तपश्च सर्वमेव तद्धनिनो धनत्वमिव गच्छति।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative context
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A Vedic Agnihotrin beside a small sacred fire and an ascetic with matted hair stand at a wealthy patron’s doorway; the patron’s overflowing granary contrasts with the ascetic’s begging bowl, conveying the moral tension of dependence.
FAQs
Spiritual practice requires integrity and independence; dependence driven by need can compromise the ownership of one’s merit.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where dharma is explained with practical cautions for householders and renunciants.
A caution regarding Agnihotra and tapas: avoid becoming beholden through need, lest the fruit of rites be treated as belonging to the patron.