Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
अहंकारेण संयुक्ताः परस्परजिगीषवः । तपसा विप्रयुक्ताश्च भोगसक्ता दिवानिशम्
ahaṃkāreṇa saṃyuktāḥ parasparajigīṣavaḥ | tapasā viprayuktāśca bhogasaktā divāniśam
அகங்காரத்தில் கட்டுண்டு, ஒருவரை ஒருவர் மிஞ்ச முயன்று, தவத்திலிருந்து வழுவி, பகல்-இரவு இன்பங்களில் பற்றுடையோர்—அவர்கள் தர்மத்தால் அல்ல, போட்டியால் இயக்கப்படுகின்றனர்.
Indra (Purandara) (deduced from immediate context where he is addressed as Purandara in v.24)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two factions of ritualists compete in a sacrificial arena, measuring status; behind them, symbols of luxury and indulgence; a neglected ascetic fire (tapas) smolders faintly.
FAQs
Ego and competitive hostility corrode tapas; without restraint, even a holy setting cannot uplift the mind.
This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the precise tīrtha name is not stated in this single verse.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it gives a moral diagnosis—avoid ego, rivalry, and pleasure-seeking that weaken austerity.