Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26
पञ्चाग्निसाधको ग्रीष्मे वर्षास्वाकाशमाश्रितः । जलाश्रयश्च हेमंत एकः स्यात्पुरुषः क्षितौ
pañcāgnisādhako grīṣme varṣāsvākāśamāśritaḥ | jalāśrayaśca hemaṃta ekaḥ syātpuruṣaḥ kṣitau
பூமியில் ஒருவன் கோடையில் பஞ்சாக்னி தவம் செய்து, மழைக்காலத்தில் திறந்த வானின் கீழ் இருந்து, குளிர்காலத்தில் நீரில் தங்கிக் கொண்டு—இவ்வாறு பருவங்களின் வழி கடுந்தவம் புரியலாம்.
Nārada
Tirtha: Viṣṇupadī (implied as comparator in surrounding verses)
Scene: An ascetic performs pañcāgni in blazing summer—four fires around and the sun overhead; in monsoon he stands under open sky; in winter he remains immersed in water—showing seasonal austerities.
FAQs
Even the most rigorous austerities are presented as comparable to the grace available through an exalted tīrtha.
The verse sets up a comparison that culminates in Viṣṇupadī-tīrtha’s excellence in the following shloka.
Severe tapas: pañcāgni in summer, sky-exposure in monsoon, and water-dwelling in winter.
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