Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14
वर्द्धन्युवाच । तपसैव त्वया धर्म भयभीतो दिवस्पतिः । तेनाहं नोदिता चात्र तपोवि घ्नस्य कांक्षया
varddhanyuvāca | tapasaiva tvayā dharma bhayabhīto divaspatiḥ | tenāhaṃ noditā cātra tapovi ghnasya kāṃkṣayā
வர்த்தனீ கூறினாள்—ஓ தர்மா! உன் தவத்தால் தேவர்களின் அரசன் இந்திரன் அஞ்சினான். ஆகவே அவன் தூண்டுதலால் நான் இங்கு வந்தேன்; உன் தவத்திற்கு இடையூறு செய்ய விரும்பி வந்தேன்.
Varddhanī
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dharma (identified later with Yama/Dharmarāja)
Scene: In a quiet forest hermitage, Dharma stands in austerity; Varddhanī approaches, confessing she has come to obstruct his tapas, with a faint aura of Indra’s anxiety behind her.
FAQs
Austerity generates spiritual power that can provoke tests and opposition; steadfastness in Dharma is implied as the proper response to such obstacles.
The narrative unfolds in Dharmāraṇya, treated as a potent sacred environment where tapas bears great fruit and attracts cosmic attention.
Tapas is central, and the verse highlights the concept of tapas-vighna (obstruction to austerity), not a specific ritual procedure.