Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42
तस्थौ तत्र मुनिश्रेष्ठो ह्यरुंधत्या समन्वितः । गोमतीमानयामास तपसा मुनिसत्तमः
tasthau tatra muniśreṣṭho hyaruṃdhatyā samanvitaḥ | gomatīmānayāmāsa tapasā munisattamaḥ
அங்கே முனிவருள் சிறந்தவர் அருந்ததியுடன் தங்கினார்; மேலும் தமது தவத்தின் வலிமையால் அந்த முனிவரே கோமதி (நதி)யை அங்கே வரவழைத்தார்.
Narratorial voice (contextual Purāṇic narration)
Tirtha: Gomatī at Arbuda (tapas-āhūtā/ākarṣitā)
Type: river
Scene: Vasiṣṭha, with Arundhatī beside him, performs austerities; a clear river-current (Gomatī) appears or is drawn toward the hermitage, forming a sacred bathing place.
FAQs
Tapas is portrayed as world-transforming: the realized sage’s austerity can manifest sacred resources that serve pilgrims and dharma.
The Arbuda locale where Vasiṣṭha resides and where the Gomatī becomes present—forming a potent bathing/pilgrimage context.
Implicitly, the establishment of a river-tīrtha (Gomatī) frames future snāna and pilgrimage merit, though no explicit rite is stated here.