Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2
पीत्वा वर्षसहस्रं वै कणधूमं सुदुःसहम् । यः प्राप्तवान्महाविद्यां मृत्युसंजीविनीं हरात्
pītvā varṣasahasraṃ vai kaṇadhūmaṃ suduḥsaham | yaḥ prāptavānmahāvidyāṃ mṛtyusaṃjīvinīṃ harāt
அவன் ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகள் மிகத் தாங்கமுடியாத துகள்புகையை அருந்தி, ஹரன் (சிவன்) இடமிருந்து ‘மிருத்யுஸஞ்ஜீவினி’ எனப்படும் மகாவித்தையைப் பெற்றான்.
Gaṇas (attendants of Śiva)
Listener: Śivaśarman
Scene: Śukra performs extreme austerity—drinking harsh, smoky particulate fumes for a thousand years—until Śiva (Hara) bestows the Mṛtyu-saṃjīvinī vidyā; the scene contrasts ascetic suffering with the sudden radiance of divine revelation.
FAQs
Severe tapas and single-minded pursuit of divine grace can yield extraordinary spiritual knowledge.
No tīrtha is specified; the verse highlights the source of the vidyā—Hara (Śiva).
Tapas characterized by enduring extreme hardship for a prolonged period is implied as the means to attain the vidyā.