Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43
कृताहारो महापापैर्निर्मुक्तो जायते ध्रुवम् । हरिमुद्दिश्य मासेषु चतुर्षु च न संशयः
kṛtāhāro mahāpāpairnirmukto jāyate dhruvam | harimuddiśya māseṣu caturṣu ca na saṃśayaḥ
جو شخص منضبط آہار اختیار کرے وہ یقیناً بڑے گناہوں سے آزاد ہو جاتا ہے—اس میں کوئی شک نہیں—جب چار مہینوں تک ہری کو مقصودِ عبادت بنا کر یہ ورت رکھا جائے۔
Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa māhātmya-style instruction)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee makes a formal saṅkalpa before a Viṣṇu image at the start of the four months, holding water in the palm; calendar-like symbols of four months appear; the aura suggests great sins dissolving.
FAQs
Austerity gains its full purifying force when dedicated to Hari; intention (uddeśa) and discipline together destroy grave sin.
The verse stresses the vow’s devotional orientation rather than a named pilgrimage site.
Kṛtāhāra (regulated diet) maintained across the four months, explicitly dedicated to Hari (Viṣṇu).