Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66
क्व सा बालातिमृद्वंगी क्व च तत्तादृशं तपः । कठोरवर्ष्मसंसाध्यमहो सच्चेतसो धृतिः
kva sā bālātimṛdvaṃgī kva ca tattādṛśaṃ tapaḥ | kaṭhoravarṣmasaṃsādhyamaho saccetaso dhṛtiḥ
کہاں وہ نہایت نازک اندام کمسن لڑکی، اور کہاں ایسی تپسیا؟ یہ تو سخت ریاضت سے مضبوط ہوئے بدنوں کے لائق ہے؛ واہ، اس کے پاک دل عزم کی ثابت قدمی کتنی حیرت انگیز ہے۔
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (tapo-vana within Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The narrator marvels at the contrast: a delicate young girl undertaking severe austerity; the composition emphasizes her slender form and unshaken gaze, surrounded by the austere landscape of a sacred grove.
FAQs
True spiritual strength arises from dhṛti—steadfast purity of intention—more than from physical toughness.
The broader Kāśī Kṣetra context continues; the verse praises tapas undertaken within that sacred geography.
None explicitly; the verse highlights the rarity and intensity of such tapas, especially for one so young and delicate.