Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 141
त्यक्त्वा जलाशनं बाला पर्णादा ह्यभवच्च सा । ततः साऽर्द्राणि पर्णानि त्यक्त्वा शुष्काणि चाददे
tyaktvā jalāśanaṃ bālā parṇādā hyabhavacca sā | tataḥ sā'rdrāṇi parṇāni tyaktvā śuṣkāṇi cādade
กุมารีน้อยนั้นละทิ้งแม้แต่น้ำและอาหาร กลายเป็นผู้กินใบไม้ ต่อมานางละทิ้งใบไม้ที่ชุ่มชื้น แล้วรับประทานแต่ใบไม้แห้งเท่านั้น
Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context, traditionally Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)
Tirtha: Kedāra-tapas-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: The maiden renounces water and food, living on leaves; then she rejects moist leaves and takes only dry leaves—an image of escalating austerity in the Himalayan wild.
FAQs
Progressive renunciation—reducing dependence on sustenance—symbolizes single-minded pursuit of the Divine.
Kedāra is the implied setting where these austerities are performed as part of the site’s Mahātmya narrative.
Austerity through fasting and restricted diet (parṇāśana, then stricter) is described as a form of vrata-like discipline.