Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63
त्र्यहमुष्णाः पिबेदापस्त्र्यहमुष्णं पयः पिबेत् । त्र्यहमुष्णघृतं प्राश्य वायुभक्षो दिनत्रयम्
tryahamuṣṇāḥ pibedāpastryahamuṣṇaṃ payaḥ pibet | tryahamuṣṇaghṛtaṃ prāśya vāyubhakṣo dinatrayam
மூன்று நாள் வெந்நீர் அருந்த வேண்டும்; மூன்று நாள் வெண்பால் அருந்த வேண்டும்; மூன்று நாள் வெந்நெய் எடுத்துக் கொண்டு, மூன்று நாள் காற்றையே மட்டும் ஆதாரமாக வாழ வேண்டும்.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse, typically Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A sequential depiction of the Tapta-kṛcchra: steaming water sips, then milk, then ghee, finally the ascetic in breath-centered stillness, with Kāśī ghats as backdrop.
FAQs
Step-by-step austerity trains detachment and steadiness, making the body and mind fit for higher dharma.
Kāśī is the narrative setting; the city’s spiritual authority contextualizes these expiations.
A 12-day regimen in four three-day phases: warm water, warm milk, warm ghee, and air-only sustenance.