Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17
एवं च वसते तत्र जनः स्वर्गे तपोधन । यावत्पुण्यक्षयस्तावत्पश्चात्पातमवाप्नुयात्
evaṃ ca vasate tatra janaḥ svarge tapodhana | yāvatpuṇyakṣayastāvatpaścātpātamavāpnuyāt
یوں، اے ریاضت کے خزانے! لوگ وہاں سُورگ میں اُسی وقت تک رہتے ہیں جب تک اُن کا پُنّیہ باقی رہے؛ جب پُنّیہ ختم ہو جائے تو پھر وہ اُس حالت سے گِر پڑتے ہیں۔
Devadūta
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha region)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Tapodhana / muni (addressee)
Scene: A didactic vision: souls enjoying svarga in radiant vimānas while an unseen counter of merit diminishes; as puṇya ends, the radiance fades and a downward path appears, underscoring impermanence.
FAQs
Heaven is not final liberation: it lasts only until puṇya is spent, teaching impermanence and the need for a higher, Śiva-centered goal.
No single earthly tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the Arbuda Khaṇḍa’s broader māhātmya by steering the listener toward lasting spiritual attainment.
No explicit rite is given; the verse provides doctrinal guidance about karma’s finite results.